Could targeting Hezbollah's communications devices be a prelude to invading southern Lebanon?

The recent bombing of wireless communication devices in several areas of Lebanon appears to be evidence of Israel's intention to enter a ground war against Hezbollah, because the operation targeted the nerve center of military operations, which is communications, and came at a time when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing for further escalation on the northern front, according to two military experts.

Earlier on Tuesday, several pagers exploded simultaneously in multiple areas, leaving more than two thousand people injured, according to official information so far.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the affected pagers were from a new shipment the party received in recent days.

Military expert Colonel Hatem Al-Falahi believes that this explosion clearly indicates Israel's intention to invade southern Lebanon because it targeted the communication element, which is a fundamental pillar of war.

A security incident par excellence

Al-Falahi said that cutting off communication between the command and control system could lead to delaying many decisions that require speed, noting that the incident was "a security incident par excellence," especially since it targeted Hezbollah's communications system, which is completely separate from the rest of the Lebanese state institutions.

The same opinion was expressed by military expert Brigadier General Elias Hanna, who said that the timing of the bombing and the way it was carried out move the war to a new stage, because the bombing is completely different from the attacks that killed military leader Fouad Shukr or other leaders who were killed in incidents that specifically targeted them.

Hanna pointed out that "this attack was carried out horizontally and targeted hundreds of people, some of whom were carrying pagers, but they were not affiliated with Hezbollah," which will fuel anger against the party because it is the only Lebanese party currently fighting with Israel.

What is more dangerous, in Hanna’s opinion, is that this explosion sows chaos within the party’s command and control system, especially since it coincided with Netanyahu’s preparations for escalation in Lebanon.

How did the explosion happen?

Regarding the nature of the devices that were affected by the explosion, Al-Falahi said that they are divided into two types, one of which is the “ HF ” device, which is used for communication between leaders and teams for distances of up to 250 kilometers and is moved in special vehicles, and the other is the “ BHF ” device, which is used for communication between units for a distance of up to 5 kilometers.

These devices are powered by lithium batteries, which means they could explode if exposed to excessive heat, raising questions about whether these devices were hacked before being delivered to Hezbollah, Al-Falahi says.

The military expert pointed out that these devices are tested for long periods to ensure their safety before contracting for them in the first place, and therefore the exposure of this number of them to a simultaneous explosion means that devices have been planted inside them to raise their temperature through an external factor.

He also explained that this potential breach may have led to the capture and elimination of a number of important leaders during this war, as they may have been aware of the party's communications.

Al-Falahi pointed out that wireless communication devices in particular are known to be more vulnerable to hacking than wired devices.

Hanna agrees with Al-Falahi almost, but he thinks that malware is likely to be planted inside batteries rather than devices, based on the fact that lithium batteries are known to have a longer lifespan but are more fragile and cause significant damage if they explode.

Hanna pointed out that this software can eavesdrop on devices, sabotage them, or blow them up, as happened previously with Iran's nuclear reactors. He said that it could be controlled by a drone or satellites through Israeli aircraft responsible for eavesdropping, monitoring, and control operations.

Source: Al Jazeera