In a tragic and unusual event in Lebanon, hundreds of pagers, reportedly used by the militant group Hezbollah, exploded simultaneously on September 18. The blasts resulted in at least nine fatalities and over 3,000 injuries. Video footage from one location shows a man shopping in a grocery store when his pager unexpectedly detonated, causing him to fall as onlookers ran in panic. This incident has led to speculation about its cause, with initial theories suggesting battery overheating. This raises a concerning question: could such an explosion happen with smartphones?

Pager Explosions: A New Threat to Smartphone Security?

Considering the widespread use of smartphones and their reliance on lithium-ion batteries, the possibility of a similar attack using these devices can’t be entirely ruled out, though several factors make it more complex and distinct.

Hezbollah’s use of pagers, seen as more secure than smartphones, stemmed from concerns about surveillance by Israeli intelligence. Pagers, with their basic hardware, are more challenging to track and less susceptible to digital hacking than smartphones. However, both pagers and smartphones rely on the same core technology — lithium-ion batteries — which inherently carry certain risks.

Lithium-ion batteries, known for their high energy density and rechargeable nature, are not without their risks. Issues such as excessive heat, overcharging, or physical damage can lead to overheating and, in rare cases, explosions. Manufacturing defects and design flaws can also increase these risks. For example, smartphone explosions, though infrequent, typically result from prolonged overheating, external damage, or defective components. Such incidents are usually isolated and linked to manufacturing or usage issues rather than coordinated attacks.

Pager Explosions: A New Threat to Smartphone Security? However, the recent Hezbollah pager explosions indicate a more elaborate scenario, potentially involving tampered devices with explosive materials added during manufacturing. According to an NYT report, Israel allegedly placed explosives in a batch of pagers from Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo, although Gold Apollo has denied these claims. A switch was supposedly included to detonate them remotely. If a similar approach were used with smartphones, it would require detailed interference in the supply chain or a method for remote detonation, possibly through a coordinated radio signal or electronic pulse.

In theory, this concept could be extended to smartphones. Given their complex software and network connectivity, smartphones might offer even more opportunities for remote manipulation, particularly if vulnerabilities in the device’s firmware were exploited. However, carrying out such an attack on a large scale would be far more difficult due to the vast array of smartphone brands, models, and operating systems. Additionally, the diverse security protocols in modern smartphones provide an extra layer of protection, making it much harder to compromise them on a mass scale.

Pager Explosions: A New Threat to Smartphone Security? Phones don’t explode on their own. Even if hackers were to manipulate them to increase battery heat by altering the current, mass explosions wouldn’t occur. At most, there might be one or two isolated incidents. This is because phones are equipped with circuitry designed to activate safety measures when they overheat. For example, in an iPhone, even in extreme heat, the device automatically stops charging if it begins to overheat.

Additionally, modern smartphones incorporate advanced cooling systems to manage heat. These include vapor chambers and graphite cooling systems, which help distribute heat evenly. Vapor chambers use liquid that evaporates and condenses to dissipate heat, while graphite layers conduct heat away from critical components like the processor.

Even if a smartphone is manipulated to overheat, it’s more likely to melt, causing the battery to swell or leak, rather than explode. In cases where a phone “explodes,” it’s usually a small fire in extreme circumstances, not a large-scale explosion.

Pagers, once widespread in the 1990s before being overtaken by mobile phones, are simple devices that receive short messages via radio signals. Although now largely obsolete, they are still utilized by groups seeking a low-tech alternative to smartphones. Hezbollah’s unusual reliance on pagers is motivated by the group’s focus on security and anonymity. Unlike modern smartphones, pagers use basic technology, making them more difficult to track.

This incident occurs amid escalating tensions in the region, as Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire along the Lebanon-Israel border, further intensified by the ongoing conflict in Gaza.