Hezbollah’s No. 2 Says Group Was Blindsided by Israeli Tech Before Pager Bombings

Hezbollah’s second-in-command, Naim Qassem, has admitted that the group was caught entirely off guard by Israel’s ability to infiltrate its hardware supply chain, leading to a deadly wave of explosions that rocked Lebanon in September 2024.

In a rare interview aired on pro-Hezbollah network al-Mayadeen late Tuesday, Qassem acknowledged that the organization’s security apparatus had no idea their communications gear—thousands of pagers—had been compromised. The attack, orchestrated by Israeli intelligence, killed dozens and wounded thousands, leaving Hezbollah not just bloodied, but deeply shaken.

“We Didn’t Know”: Qassem’s Startling Confession

Qassem didn’t mince words. “We didn’t know the supply chain had been exposed,” he said, seated under a portrait of Hezbollah’s late military commander Imad Mughniyeh. His tone wasn’t angry—just grim.

The admission marked a rare public concession from the group’s notoriously secretive leadership.

In the interview, Qassem described how the group’s fighters had started noticing odd behavior in the pagers a few days before the September blasts. Some buzzed without prompt. Others drained battery too fast. Still, the magnitude of what was coming hadn’t dawned on them.

One Hezbollah fighter reportedly brought his malfunctioning beeper to a technician. It exploded hours later in his barracks.

Israel’s Long Game Paid Off—Loudly

Israeli officials have remained largely mum about the pager bombings, sticking to a policy of neither confirming nor denying responsibility. But experts believe the operation was years in the making. And Qassem’s remarks appear to confirm just that.

Behind the scenes, Israeli cyber and military intelligence units are suspected to have tampered with Hezbollah’s procurement channels, inserting tiny explosives into thousands of pagers shipped to Lebanon from Asia and Europe.

It was surgical sabotage. Brutal. And effective.

The devices were likely tracked and remotely detonated once Israeli intelligence concluded they were in operatives’ hands. Explosions happened almost simultaneously across Beirut, Tyre, Nabatieh and the Bekaa Valley.

And the toll was staggering.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s known so far:

One former Israeli official, speaking anonymously to Channel 12, called the operation “one of the most creative counterterror tools used in years.”

Hezbollah’s Security Blunders Now in Spotlight

The scale of the failure has led to internal finger-pointing. According to Qassem, a committee has been investigating for months. Their findings? Damning.

Hezbollah’s logistics teams failed to detect tampering. Background checks on suppliers were outdated. Components were sometimes resold in open-air markets before reaching Hezbollah’s depots.

In Qassem’s own words, “There was overconfidence… we didn’t imagine they could get inside the hardware itself.”

There were no formal suspensions, but senior logistics officers have reportedly been reassigned. Some fighters now mockingly refer to the operation as the “Buzzer Massacre.”

One small paragraph here—just to catch our breath.

The Political Fallout Is Still Rippling

The shockwaves aren’t just military. They’re political too.

Iranian officials, embarrassed by the hit to their top proxy force, have demanded tighter controls on Hezbollah’s procurement system. Tehran reportedly sent a delegation of IRGC officers to Beirut in October 2024 to audit Hezbollah’s cyber security and logistical operations.

Meanwhile, Lebanese civilians—many of whom were caught in the crossfire—have grown increasingly uneasy.

Here’s the thing:

• The majority of explosions happened in densely populated civilian neighborhoods.

• Dozens of bystanders were wounded, including children and elderly.

• Hezbollah offered no formal apology to the public.

That silence has been deafening.

Growing Pressure on Qassem and Nasrallah

Qassem’s comments appear to be part of a subtle PR campaign to manage growing discontent within Hezbollah’s ranks—and perhaps even set the stage for internal leadership changes.

Party sources, speaking off-record to pan-Arab outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, say there’s been friction between Qassem and Hezbollah’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah, over how to handle the fallout.

Some argue Qassem has been quietly angling for more visibility in anticipation of Nasrallah’s eventual retirement, citing the latter’s health issues.

Others believe Qassem is trying to deflect blame.

But either way, the organization’s mystique has taken a real hit.

Surveillance War Has Entered a New Phase

Israel’s ability to infiltrate Hezbollah’s most basic hardware has sent a chilling message—not just to Lebanon, but across the region. From Gaza to Damascus, allied groups are reportedly rechecking their gear, software, and even their uniform stitching.

Qassem noted that Hezbollah has since shut down several procurement routes, revamped its internal tracking, and installed “layered validation” steps for all future hardware.

Still, paranoia is spreading.

Fighters have stopped using pagers entirely. Some units reverted to hand-delivered written messages—yes, really. A few commanders now prefer face-to-face communication over encrypted apps.

“We’re back to talking like it’s 1985,” joked one Hezbollah member in Baalbek. Then he added, dead serious: “But at least paper doesn’t explode.”