The Technology Behind the Pager Bombings

Forbes just published a brilliant piece, Micro Munitions: How Pagers Could Be Turned Into Bombs, by senior contributor David Hambling.

On September 17, portable pagers carried by approximately 3,000 Hezbollah simultaneously exploded, killing 12 and seriously wounding hundreds. While no one has claimed responsibility, examples of previous remote killings orchestrated by Israel include Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and terrorist Yehiyeh Ayash, “The Engineer” with a cellphone loaded with explosives.

Initially, a software attack was believed to have caused the batteries to overheat and explode. Batteries are vulnerable to thermal runaway, where a chemical reaction within the battery cell produces heat, potentially reaching 750 F / 400 C within seconds. As the battery compounds break down, flammable and explosive gases expand and rupture the battery casing, causing a fire.

However, videos show that the pagers forcibly exploded: it wasn’t thermal runaway. So, what happened?

Hezbollah was likely hit by a supply chain attack. Small explosive devices were inserted into the pagers at manufacture or sometime during shipping.

“If the attackers were able to tailor the explosive device within the pager, it may have been positioned to use other pager components as shrapnel,” said Hambling. Since pagers are typically worn on a belt clip, one side faces the wearer’s body, making them ideal for directional explosives.

According to Fox News, a senior U.S. official anonymously confirmed that Israel is behind the pager attack, and additional blasts are now being reported in Beirut during a funeral for Hezbollah members killed in the initial explosions.