The shell company BAC Consulting, ostensibly a Hungarian pager manufacturer, was actually a front for Israeli intelligence to produce and distribute explosive-laden communication devices to Hezbollah operatives to lay the groundwork for the series of mysterious explosions from pagers and walkie-talkies that killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 2,700 others across Lebanon this week was as an elaborate Israeli covert operation targeting the Iranian-backed terrorist group, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
According to The New York Times, citing 12 current and former defense and intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, Israel orchestrated this complex scheme to target the Iranian-backed group. The officials described the operation as "complex and long in the making."
The attack unfolded in two phases. On Tuesday afternoon, pagers distributed to Hezbollah members began exploding across Lebanon, causing widespread panic and destruction. The following day, walkie-talkies also mysteriously detonated, leading to further casualties.
Video: The scene of one of the explosions in Lebanon
Mohammed Awada, 52, witnessed one of the explosions. He told The New York Times, "My son went crazy and started to scream when he saw the man's hand flying away from him."
The Israeli government has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the attacks. However, the sophisticated nature of the operation aligns with Israel's history of using advanced technologies against its adversaries. In 2020, Israel reportedly assassinated Iran's top nuclear scientist using an AI-assisted robot controlled remotely via satellite.
The New York Times reports that the operation was set in motion even before Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, decided to expand the use of pagers within the organization. Israeli intelligence officials established BAC Consulting as a shell company, posing as an international pager producer based in Hungary.
According to three intelligence officers briefed on the operation, BAC Consulting produced ordinary pagers for regular clients but manufactured specially designed devices for Hezbollah. These pagers contained batteries laced with the explosive compound PETN. Shipping began to Lebanon in the summer of 2022 but picked up after Nasrallah delivered his speech urging his followers to switch to low-grade devices.
Video: The aftermath of the explosion in Lebanon
Nasrallah's decision to shift away from cellphones and towards pagers was reportedly influenced by fears of Israeli hacking capabilities. In a public address in February, Nasrallah told his followers, "You ask me where is the agent. I tell you that the phone in your hands, in your wife's hands, and in your children's hands is the agent."
A plane load of Hezbollah terrorists are on their way to Iran to see if their sight can be saved.
Apparently the pager went off with a delay & exploded when viewing the message. pic.twitter.com/kRyBozqogk
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) September 19, 2024
The operation has created a climate of fear and suspicion in Lebanon. At a funeral for two victims of the initial explosions, panic ensued when another device detonated. Um Ibrahim, a distressed woman at the scene, borrowed a reporter's phone to call her children, screaming, "Turn off your phones now!"
