In a significant security revelation, Turkish intelligence has seized 1,300 booby-trapped pagers intended for Lebanon, identical to those that exploded in the hands of Hezbollah operatives last September, according to a Monday report by Turkish media outlet Sabah.
According to the report, Turkish intelligence located a shipment of 1,300 pagers and 710 chargers of the same model that exploded in Lebanon on September 17, 2024, resulting in many Hezbollah terrorists dead and thousands injured. The shipment was discovered at Istanbul airport just days after the incident.
According to Sabah, on September 20, Turkish intelligence obtained information that pagers similar to those that exploded in Lebanon were scheduled to be sent from Istanbul to Lebanon. As a result, airports and seaports were placed under surveillance.
The day before the explosions in Lebanon, on September 16, a shipment of 4 pallets from SMT Global Logistics Limited from Taiwan arrived at Istanbul airport on a cargo flight from Hong Kong. The pallets contained 61 packages with a total weight of 850 kilograms (1,874 pounds). The shipment was scheduled to be sent to Lebanon on a cargo flight set to depart on September 27.
When examining the shipping documents, the product was described as a "food chopper." Inspection of the actual shipments revealed 1,300 Gold Apollo 924 R3 GP pagers, similar to those that exploded in the hands of Hezbollah operatives, along with chargers, cables, and batteries. Additionally, the shipment contained 144 manual blenders and other communication devices.
The shipment was sent to a laboratory for testing, and a scan found that "the pager batteries contain a white substance weighing three grams that was assessed to be flammable explosive material." According to the report, Turkish officials determined that through a strong signal or command sent to the device, the batteries could heat up, causing an explosion that could lead to death or injury.
A similar detonation mechanism was found in the chargers as well. Unlike regular batteries, these batteries were connected to a charging circuit and actually included two batteries inside a metal casing. A dark brown, flammable explosive material was injected into the metal casing.
According to the report, the matter of the shipment came up during a conversation between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and then-Lebanese President Najib Mikati, during which Mikati was informed that Turkey had destroyed the pagers it had seized.
