What Is A Pager? The Device That Became Israel's Secret Weapon Against Hezbollah

Military warfare has peaked with the countries adopting new and cutting-edge technologies. The pagers and walkie-talkies explosion in Lebanon has killed several while injuring thousands of Hezbollah militants and the workers. However, when the news of the pager explosion broke, many were surprised to find that pagers were still being used in the world where smartphones have captured the attention of people across the globe. 

What Is A Pager?

Pagers, once a common communication tool before the rise of mobile phones, are small wireless devices used to receive short messages. Widely utilized in the 1990s and early 2000s by medical professionals, emergency services, and businesses, pagers played a significant role in instant communication. The same gained popularity among terrorists and security establishments due to their privacy feature as messages can't be encrypted easily. 

Hezbollah vs Israel

In an interesting twist, pagers have found themselves at the center of military tactics during the conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. Israeli intelligence reportedly exploited bugged pagers to trap Hezbollah militants and explode them at the same time using single command. 

Though largely obsolete today, pagers once served as an essential communication tool—and, in this case, a strategic instrument in modern warfare.