The Exploding Pagers

[Doctor Phibes]

I don't see how you could get batteries to explode like that in a standard device by remote interference. They must be handing out devices that have been tampered with.

[LuFins Dad]

@Doctor-Phibes said in The Exploding Pagers:

I don't see how you could get batteries to explode like that in a standard device by remote interference. They must be handing out devices that have been tampered with.

Firmware update?

[jon-nyc]

No they had to add explosive to the devices. This was obviously a long planned event.

And beautiful. Bringing it to them personally in such a targeted way.

[Doctor Phibes]

@LuFins-Dad said in The Exploding Pagers:

@Doctor-Phibes said in The Exploding Pagers:

I don't see how you could get batteries to explode like that in a standard device by remote interference. They must be handing out devices that have been tampered with.

Firmware update?

I guess it's theoretically possible, if you could somehow reverse polarity to the battery terminals, but I suspect they've been tampered with in hardware rather than software. You'd also need to make sure only the pagers carried by targets were compromised, how on earth would you do that?

[LuFins Dad]

Was it simultaneous?

[jon-nyc]

Seems to have been

[jon-nyc]

Apparently hesballah already banned cell phones for its operatives as they were all getting hacked. So they switched to pagers and couriers.

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in The Exploding Pagers:

. So they switched to pagers and couriers.

More medieval tactics, LOL

[Mik]

@jon-nyc said in The Exploding Pagers:

No they had to add explosive to the devices. This was obviously a long planned event.

And beautiful. Bringing it to them personally in such a targeted way.

You like terrorism? We'll show you how it's done.

This is such a masterful stroke psychologically. Now none of those bastards will want to be carrying that technology.

[George K]

Some reports are saying that over 1000 were injured.

[jon-nyc]

I hope there was a 2 second delay between the detonation message and the detonation itself. Long enough for the terrorist to involve his hand in the explosion, not long enough for him to save his balls.

[Mik]

@jon-nyc I’d bet the IDF thought of that. Hope so anyway.

[bachophile]

word here is people where all paged with some message, giving a few seconds to look at it, then....surprise...
unconfirmed report that the iranian ambassador to Lebanon also had a pager

[bachophile]

you gotta admit, its original. not strategically game changing, but letting them feel they are completely transparent to Israeli Luxembourg's intelligence (no official claim of responsibility here)

[jon-nyc]

It would seem that the time to do this would be <24 hours before a major escalation.

Any bets?

[bachophile]

its possible....strike while the irons hot

[jon-nyc]

ANd while they can't coordinate their defense/response.

[LuFins Dad]

@jon-nyc said in The Exploding Pagers:

ANd while they can't coordinate their defense/response.

That’s a good point, I was thinking the reverse. Hezbollah planning a major offensive? Disrupt it by by blowing up their communications (and a few hands and crotches)…

[George K]

[Copper]

They got the idea from Walter White.