New York Times, citing American and other officials briefed on the issue, said that the Israeli regime hid explosive material within a new batch of Taiwanese-made pagers imported into Lebanon.
The pagers, which Hezbollah had ordered from Gold Apollo in Taiwan, had been tampered with before they reached Lebanon, according to some of the officials. Most were the company’s AR924 model, though three other Gold Apollo models were also included in the shipment.
The explosive material, as little as one to two ounces, was implanted next to the battery in each pager, two of the officials said. A switch was also embedded that could be triggered remotely to detonate the explosives.
At 3:30 p.m. in Lebanon, the pagers received a message that appeared as though it was coming from Hezbollah’s leadership, two of the officials said. Instead, the message activated the explosives. Lebanon’s health minister told state media at least 11 people were killed and more than 2,700 injured.
According to three of the officials, the devices were programmed to beep for several seconds before exploding.
The media reports come while Lebanon's Hezbollah has announced the beginning of its investigation into these explosions and has not yet taken an official position in this regard.
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