The Costs and Perils of Weaponizing Consumer Technologies (The 2024 Pager and Walkie-Talkie Explosions in Lebanon and Syria)

Abstract

On 17 September 2024, thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by civilians, an unspecified portion of which belonged to militants of the political party and paramilitary group Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon exploded simultaneously, killing dozens of users (including innocent children), maiming thousands, and creating chaos and panic in the streets.1 The attack was repeated across Lebanon the day after, on 18 September 2024, and allegedly involved detonations of other electronic devices (including those containing solar and lithium batteries).² Those who committed this crime did not carefully select their targets; rather let explosions thunder in hospitals, markets, streets, shops, and even pharmacies. This was a coordinated remote-controlled operation, for which no one has formally taken responsibility so far.