How Simultaneous Pager Explosions May Have Been Triggered in Beirut?

Beirut: The recent simultaneous explosions of pagers in Beirut may have been caused by the lithium-ion batteries powering the devices. These batteries, while common in electronics, can sometimes explode due to a phenomenon called thermal runaway. This occurs when the battery overheats, is punctured, or overcharged, leading to a chemical reaction that releases energy and can cause an explosion with significant force and heat.

Pagers, which often use outdated software and unencrypted communication channels, could be easy targets for attacks. It's possible that an adversary of Hezbollah hacked into the pagers' signals, implanting a virus that triggered the batteries to overheat and explode. Some Beirut officials have suggested Israel may be behind the attack, given the rising tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border.

A Hezbollah official, speaking anonymously, reported that "several hundred" people, including Hezbollah members, were injured in Lebanon from the pager explosions. A few fighters in Syria were also affected. It is believed to have been a coordinated attack, possibly by Israel.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, close to the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, said on its Telegram channel that Mojtaba Amani, Iran’s ambassador in Lebanon, has a superficial injury and is under observation at a hospital. Another semi-official Mehr news agency, also on its Telegram channel, reported that Amani was wounded by a pager explosion, the Associated Press reported.