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The pagers from a recent shipment began overheating and their batteries were not lasting as expected.
For Hezbollah, it was time for an investigation. For Israel, it was time to detonate them.
The daring operation, which killed 37 people and injured thousands with explosives hidden in handheld communication devices, marks one of the most significant moments in the conflict between the two sides since October 8.
For security officials in Beirut and elsewhere, however, it was a bold and dramatic act akin to a high-stakes thriller involving complex cyber warfare and intelligence tactics, which only adds to its intrigue.
“It’s scary,” said one Lebanese security official.
The official and other security sources revealed details of the operation that shook Lebanon on Tuesday with exploding pagers and again on Wednesday with walkie-talkies rigged to detonate.
Shortly after the conflict with Israel began, following the Hamas attacks on October 7 and the start of the Gaza war, many Hezbollah members started relying on pagers and other dated communication technology to avoid detection. Despite this, Israel, with its extensive network of ground agents, managed to locate and assassinate several commanders and fighters in southern Lebanon and the in the eastern Bekaa area.
Its intelligence supremacy reached a pinnacle in July when it killed the group’s senior military commander Fuad Shukr in a strike on Beirut.
This marked the most significant breach of the powerful Iran-backed group's security – until Tuesday at 3.30pm, when the dramatic scenes of pagers exploding in pockets and hands began circulating in the media.
“The Lebanese security agencies assessment is that the pagers and the walkie-talkies were all from the same shipment, bought from the black market, through the same broker,” said one of the security officials. "However, we don’t know who this broker was. There are, of course, many unanswered questions regarding this broker. But it is very difficult for us to identify them because the affected party [Hezbollah] won’t disclose their identity to anyone, of course."
The pagers were labelled with the name of Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo, while the walkie-talkies bore the branding of Osaka-based Icom.
Icom confirmed its IC-V82 device was produced and exported globally, including to the Middle East, between 2004 and October 2014. The device was discontinued a decade ago and Icom warned that counterfeit versions have since been widely sold in international markets.
Gold Apollo's chief executive and founder said he felt like a "victim" after the European company BAC Consulting, based in Hungary, was granted a licence to use the Gold Apollo name in specific regions.
Google indexed BAC Consulting’s website more than a decade ago, with the company described as “actively involved in international relations, examining social sciences and humanities through a global lens". However, attempts by The National to reach the company using the listed phone number were unsuccessful.
Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, the company’s chief executive, is listed on its website and has a LinkedIn profile. In a phone call with NBC News, Ms Barsony-Arcidiacono denied direct involvement, stating: “I don’t make the pagers. I am just the intermediary. I think you’ve got it wrong.”
As of Wednesday morning, BAC's website was offline and the company's listed address appeared to be a residential street in Budapest. “The identity of the broker is probably the most sensitive and important piece of this puzzle,” the security source stressed.
According to the source, who has access to classified investigations, the joint assessment of the Lebanese security agencies is that the devices were rigged “with a small amount of an unknown type of explosives either at the storage place in Budapest or even in Israel”.
“The bigger probability is that they took them to Israel, rigged them with explosives, and then sent them back to the storage location before Hezbollah shipped them to Lebanon,” the source added.
While the security official stated that the exact nature of the explosives remains unclear, Sky News Arabia quoted sources who identified the substance as the highly explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate usually found in military detonators.
“The battery won’t explode. We are sure that these devices were rigged with small amounts of explosives, which is very hard to identify. It was very small, but the effect was big,” another security official said.
Security sources in Beirut who are close to the investigation said Hezbollah members could still use older pagers and walkie-talkies, and that the latest shipment is believed to have been the only one with devices rigged with explosives.
The timing of the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday came after Israel announced it was shifting its focus to the war with Hezbollah, which has forced tens of thousands of Israelis to abandon their homes in the north of the country. The government stated it was determined to change the situation, while the heavily armed militant group declared it would not stop attacking Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
To set off the explosions, Israel triggered the pagers to beep and sent a message to them in Arabic that appeared as though it had come from Hezbollah’s senior leadership, The New York Times reported on Thursday. But the story of the timing is much more intriguing.
“The security assessment is that this operation was planned to happen alongside an Israeli ground invasion, but they had to do it because they got indications that the whole thing would be uncovered soon,” explained a senior source involved in an official investigation.
“Some of the devices were showing errors regularly and heating up, and the battery wasn’t lasting for more than an hour when it should last for much more, maybe 10. These encounters were increasing and a decision by Hezbollah was about to be made to investigate them. 'This is when the detonation happened.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Results
2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Specs%20
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