Reuters Investigative Report on Deadly Beepers that Grounded Hezbollah

Reuters reported on October 17 that for the first time it unveiled the explosion of Hezbollah's beepers and a year-long operation by Mossad against this Iranian-backed militia. According to the report, the individuals who manufactured the beepers designed a battery that concealed a small but powerful charge of plastic explosives and a special detonator, which was invisible to X-rays. They created fake stores, pages, and online posts to deceive Hezbollah. After receiving the beepers in March, Hezbollah placed them in airport security scanners to ensure there were no explosives but found nothing suspicious. Two bomb experts told Reuters that these devices were likely set to create a spark in the battery pack. According to these experts, the batteries likely had a capacity less than claimed. A Lebanese source told Reuters that at one point, Hezbollah realized the batteries were draining faster than expected. However, it seems this did not raise major security concerns as the group continued to distribute the beepers to its members until hours before the attack. On September 18, thousands of beepers exploded simultaneously after receiving a message, and the next day, Hezbollah's walkie-talkies also exploded, resulting in 39 deaths and 3,400 injuries. Although Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its role in these attacks, two Western security sources told Reuters that the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad) led the operations. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Lebanese Ministry of Information, and Hezbollah's spokesperson also declined to comment on the issue. American officials have stated they were not previously aware of this operation. Reuters could not identify the production location of the batteries, but a former Israeli intelligence officer not involved in the beeper operation told Reuters that because Hezbollah has serious procedures for reviewing what it purchases, Israeli agents had to create a fake background from scratch for this product. They deceived Hezbollah by selling a custom model, AR-924, under the well-known Taiwanese brand 'Gold Apollo.' The head of Gold Apollo, Hsu Ching-Kuang, stated the day after the beeper attack that he knew nothing about the deadly capabilities of the beepers or a broader operation to attack Hezbollah and described his company as a victim of this conspiracy. He has not issued any statements to the media following these attacks. Pages and images of AR-924 and its battery were added to the website apollosystemshk.com in October 2023, a site claiming to have the distribution license for 'Gold Apollo' products. A section of this website emphasized the extraordinary performance of this battery and its high charging and durability capabilities. The site provided an address in Hong Kong for a company named 'Apollo Systems HK,' but no such company exists in Hong Kong. However, this website was listed by Wu, a Taiwanese businessman, on his Facebook page and also in public company records. A former Israeli intelligence officer and two Western security officers told Reuters that this website, the online store, and related forums were all fake and were removed from the internet after the attacks. Hezbollah leaders stated they have initiated internal investigations to understand how this security breach occurred. The group realized at the beginning of the year that mobile communications were at risk due to Israeli eavesdropping and turned to using beepers. An individual familiar with the matter told Reuters that Hezbollah's investigations uncovered how Israeli agents used an aggressive sales tactic to sell AR-924 to Hezbollah's logistics manager. Lebanese officials condemned these attacks as a serious violation of Lebanon's sovereignty. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, said in his last public speech before being killed by Israel on September 19 that these explosions could be seen as a 'declaration of war' and vowed to punish Israel. Following these attacks, Israel launched a full-scale war against Hezbollah, including a ground invasion of southern Lebanon and airstrikes that resulted in the deaths of many of its senior leaders. Hezbollah's internal investigations, which were still ongoing, faced a setback on October 1: eleven days after the beeper attack, Nabil Kaouk, a senior Hezbollah official leading the investigations, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli army stated: 'We attacked dozens of Hezbollah terrorist targets in the Nabatieh region of Lebanon.' Video footage from the Israeli army showed airstrikes on Hezbollah's military infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Israel aims to clear Hezbollah from up to 10 kilometers inside the Lebanese border. Ground advances by the Israeli army and airstrikes on Hezbollah's military infrastructure in southern Lebanon continue. New U.S. sanctions against Hezbollah's financial networks and the Syrian government have been imposed. An airstrike in southern Beirut targeted what Israel claimed was a strategic weapons depot of Hezbollah. The United Nations reported that one-fifth of Lebanon's population has left their homes. Hezbollah's attack on Israel resulted in 67 injuries. Gallant stated: 'We will not allow Hezbollah to reestablish itself in border areas.'