The most vicious terrorist attacks often employ the most simple and "common" methods. They may not be immediately fatal but can still create indiscriminate panic. When the target shifts from military installations to civilian populations, such an attack can be undoubtedly classified as a terrorist act.
Deadly pagers open Pandora's box of terror attacks
Since September 17th, several explosions in Lebanon have left thousands injured or dead. The targets were civilian communication devices like pagers and walkie-talkies, which were made to sound an attractive tone before exploding, causing irreparable damage, especially to the face and eyes of survivors. What is even more alarming is that these attacks were not isolated incidents but repeated, spreading across multiple days and locations with no group or nation taking responsibility (although many have their speculations). The Pandora's box of using civilian devices for terrorism has been opened; once the line is crossed, it's hard to redraw, marking not an end but a beginning.
A premeditated scheme involves shell companies from multiple countries
In February 2024, Hezbollah leader Nasrallah gave a televised speech instructing members not to use mobile phones due to the risk of Israeli surveillance or targeting. From April 2nd to April 17th, the U.S. imposed a global sales ban on the Chinese walkie-talkie manufacturer Hytera. It's intriguing that during the same month, Hezbollah ordered about 5,000 of the involved pagers from Taiwan's Apollo Company, reportedly from the same batch as the exploded walkie-talkies. Post-incident, Taiwan’s Apollo Company claimed that the exploding pager was part of a partnership with its long-term licensee and regional agent, Hungary's BAC Consulting Kft., responsible for design and manufacture.
Curiously, BAC's registered address is not in an industrial zone but a residential area in Hungary’s capital—a coincidence that aligns with the New York Times’ revelation that Israel has attempted to infiltrate Hezbollah’s supply chain via overseas shell companies.
So far, the true origin of these fatal pagers remains unknown, with Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Taiwanese involved companies all denying involvement. Questions linger: how many more such nefarious shell companies are out there? How many more hazardous goods are circulating? Who else might be targeted?
Troubling implications—punishment is necessary for deterrence
Initially, no one claimed responsibility for the walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon, suggesting possible moral compunctions against taking credit. However, as the range of explosive mediums expanded to laptops, mobile phones, video doorbells, motorcycles, car radios, etc., it became clear that the perpetrator(s) had no qualms, refusing to acknowledge, accept liability, or cease operations. Panic began to grip people regarding products whose provenance they couldn't vouch for, sparking a potential crisis of trust in global supply chains.
No one could vouch for the attacker’s intentions being confined to a specific group. Moreover, the use of daily-use communication devices as attack vectors demonstrated the assailant’s resolve to “err on the side of overkill rather than risk a miss.”
Are such attacks preventable? Maybe so—in October 2023, Hytera, a Chinese walkie-talkie manufacturer coincidentally sanctioned by the United States in April, gained renewed attention for its patent applications filed around the same period. These included methods to prevent dismantling of walkie-talkies, battery protection devices, and safety circuits to stop voltage spikes from overheating energy storage components. Such innovations could undoubtedly help defend against attacks like those in Lebanon. Yet, 'with every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction,' and a sudden global sales ban could surreptitiously leave you 'without choice,' even more so when the attacker now has plenty of options having abandoned ethical constraints. In this scenario, everyone could become a victim tomorrow.
Such tragedies should never be repeated, and deterring future acts requires accountability. Blood debts shouldn’t be murky accounts, and fear shouldn’t be normalized before another attack. Terrorists must not be allowed to hide behind the facade of civilized society. Until the truth behind these attacks is revealed, we should continue to question—such a task might take time, but justice knows no delays, and terror won’t silence its victims in anticipation of its next blow.
