Yesterday thousands of people in Lebanon suffered injuries following a series of simultaneous explosions involving pager device used by Hezbollah, the armed group, for communication.
The blast on Tuesday left at least nine individuals dead, and more than 2,800 were hurt, with many in critical condition.
The cause behind these coordinated explosions remains uncertain, though Hezbollah has pointed fingers at Israel. However, Israeli authorities have refrained from making any official statements.
Why did pager device explode?
As per BBC, experts have expressed astonishment over the scale of the attack, as Hezbollah is known for its tight security protocols.
While some have theorized that a cyberattack might have caused the pager batteries to overheat and explode, this hypothesis has been largely dismissed. Video evidence of the event doesn’t align with what one would expect from simple battery malfunctions.
Others suggest a more elaborate plan—a supply chain compromise—might be responsible. Supply chain attacks are a growing concern, with hackers exploiting products at various stages of their development or transport. While such attacks typically target software, the possibility of tampering with hardware, in this case, the pagers, has raised concerns.
Lebanese security officials suspect that the devices could have been rigged with explosives long before they reached the country. One former British Army munitions expert, who spoke anonymously, speculated that the pagers might have been detonated remotely, further supporting the theory of a complex, premeditated attack.
The full details surrounding this devastating event remain unclear, but it underscores the increasing dangers of modern cyber warfare and supply chain vulnerabilities.
