Israeli shell company made explosive pagers used by Hezbollah: Report
The New York Times, citing three intelligence officers, reported on Thursday that BAC Consulting, a Hungary-based pager manufacturing company, is an Israeli shell company. The officers revealed that BAC Consulting manufactured the explosive pagers used by Hezbollah in Lebanon on Tuesday. The explosions killed 12 people and injured 3,000 others. They also disclosed the existence of two additional shell companies which helped conceal the identities of those involved in producing these pagers.
Hezbollah's shift to pagers traced back to 2022
The report clarified that while regular pagers were made for other clients, those for Hezbollah were "produced separately, they contained batteries laced with explosive." The report further revealed that the first batch of pagers was sent to Lebanon in 2022. Hezbollah placed more orders for BAC-manufactured pagers following a speech in February by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who condemned the use of cellphones, labeling them as Israel's "agent."
Nasrallah's orders amplified pager use among Hezbollah
According to three defense officials, Nasrallah also ordered Hezbollah officers to carry pagers at all times and prohibited cell phones during organization meetings. He reportedly instructed officers not to communicate any details about Hezbollah's movements and plans via cell phones. Following his speech, there was a significant surge in pager shipments to Lebanon, with thousands reportedly being distributed among Hezbollah officers and their allies, NYT reported.
Explosive pagers cause chaos across Lebanon
While Hezbollah views these devices as a defensive tool, Israeli intelligence has characterized them as "buttons" that could be activated at strategic moments. This appears to have happened on Tuesday when the pagers were set to beep, prompting their owners to check the message sent by Hezbollah's command, only for them to explode seconds later. The resulting chaos led to the death of at least eight Hezbollah fighters and several noncombatants.
