Why does Hezbollah still use pagers for communication?

Pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday, killing nine people and injuring thousands.

At least nine people were killed, including an 8-year-old girl, and nearly 3,000 were wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday.

The detonations began around 3:30pm in the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahiyeh and the eastern Bekaa valley.

The detonations began around 3:30pm in the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahiyeh and the eastern Bekaa valley, both strongholds of the militant group.

Hezbollah, which has backing from Iran, blamed Israel for the deadly explosions in a statement.

“We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians,” Hezbollah said, adding that Israel will “for sure get its just punishment.”

An unidentified US official told the Associated Press that Israel briefed Washington DC on the operation on Tuesday after it was concluded. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the information publicly.

How was the attack carried out?

A senior Lebanese security source told news agency Reuters that Israel's Mossad spy agency planted explosives inside 5,000 pagers, which had been imported by the Lebanese group Hezbollah months before.

The pagers were from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, but the company said it did not manufacture the devices. A European firm gave them the right to use its brand name.

People gather outside American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) as more than 1,000 people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, according to a security source, in Beirut, Lebanon September 17, 2024. (Reuters)

The Lebanese source told Reuters the devices had been modified by Mossad "at the production level."

"The Mossad injected a board inside of the device that has explosive material that receives a code. It's very hard to detect it through any means. Even with any device or scanner," the source said.

He added that 3,000 pagers exploded when a coded message was sent to them, simultaneously activating the explosives.

Why does Hezbollah still use pagers?

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had previously warned its members not to carry cell phones as Israel could use them to track the group's movements.

As a result of this, the Iran-backed militant group, has been using pagers for communication.

Nicholas Reese, adjunct instructor at the Center for Global Affairs in New York University’s School of Professional Studies, told the Associated Press that smartphones carry a higher risk for intercepted communications in contrast to the simpler technology of pagers.

Reese said that Tuesday's attack will force Hezbollah to change its communication strategies.

He added that survivors of Tuesday's explosions are likely to throw away "not just their pagers, but their phones, and leaving their tablets or any other electronic devices.”