Did Israel sabotage B&H Photo batteries so that pagers used by Hezbollah in Lebanon would explode?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Israel sabotaged B&H batteries to explode Hezbollah pagers!
Right after news broke that pagers allegedly used by members of Hezbollah exploded in Lebanon, killing and injuring scores of people, there were claims that Israel intercepted a shipment of pager batteries from B&H Photo and inserted Kiska 3 explosives as part of Operation “Below the Belt“.
The Hawk Eye / GoaChronicle : GoaChronicle through its intelligence network has learned that Israeli intelligence successfully intercepted a shipment of pager batteries that had been ordered from B&H Photo. The order was placed from Lebanon. Acting on a confirmed tip, the intelligence agency seized the shipment and covertly modified the batteries. Small, undetectable explosives known as Kiska 3 were inserted into the battery casings and connected to the battery wires via a discreet chip. The pager model was Rugged Pager AR924 IP67. The operation code word was ‘Below the Belt’.
The modified batteries were programmed to heat up and detonate when triggered by the chip. This chip was remotely activated by sending a common message to all targeted pagers simultaneously, causing the explosions. This operation demonstrates a precise and strategic use of technology, further highlighting Israel’s sophisticated capabilities in cyber and intelligence warfare.
Defense News of INDIA : MOSSAD successfully intercepted a shipment of pager that had been ordered from B&H Photo. The order was placed from Lebanon. Acting on a confirmed tip, the intelligence agency seized the shipment and covertly modified the batteries. Small, undetectable explosives known as KISKA-3 were inserted into the battery casings and connected to the battery wires via a discreet chip. The pager model was Apollo Gold Rugged Pager AR924 IP67. The operation code word was ‘Below the Belt’.
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Truth : Israel did not sabotage B&H batteries to explode Hezbollah pagers!
This appears to be yet another example of fake news circulating around the Hezbollah pager attack, and here are the reasons why…
B&H Photo claim was satire
It appears that stories about Hezbollah purchases pager batteries from B&H Photo appear to be based on satire posted by Dovi Safier on 17 September 2024.
Safier deleted his satirical post after it was picked up and posted as legitimate, but thanks to a cached X post on Google, we have a fragment of his post:
When @bhphoto received a large order from Lebanon, they tipped off the Mossad’s Eli Kopter, who planted the undetectable Kishka 3 explosive …
Frankly, even that short post fragment has two obvious jokes that screamed satire. It is truly hilarious that any serious media outlet / analyst would fall for such jokes.
Eli Kopter = Helicopter
Eli Kopter / Eli Copter (Eli Cobter in Arabic) is a play on the Hebrew word for helicopter. It went viral as an Israeli joke about Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter crash in May 2024.
Even French-Israeli TV presenter Daniel Haik fell for it, quoting a Telegram channel in saying that, “The pilot pilot was a Mossad agent with the name ‘Eli Copter’, it’s not currently clear whether this is true or not, but that’s the rumour going around.”
Kishka is a type of sausage
There is no undetectable explosive known as Kishka-3 or Kishka 3. It appears to be a joke based on kishka – a traditional Jewish Ashkenazi food.
Kishka or kishke is a type of sausage filled with meat and grain or potato. In Jewish cuisine, it’s also known as stuffed derma, and traditionally made from flour or matzo meal, schmaltz and spices.
Below the Belt is an unlikely name for a Mossad operation
While not mentioned in the fragment, it appears that Dovi Safier joked that the name for the Mossad operation was called “Below the Belt“.
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Dovi Safier called his post a “parody”
Dovi Safier also explained that his post was a “parody“, and “not meant seriously“. He also stated that he was shocked that any news outlet would run it as fact.
Earlier I deleted a satirical post mentioning B&H photo. This was parody and not meant seriously. I’m shocked that any news outlet would run it as fact, but apparently in 2024, the idea of fact-checking is dead. Thank You.
B&H Photo denies selling Hezbollah pager batteries
There is also no evidence that Hezbollah ordered those pagers, or their batteries, from B&H Photo. In fact, GoaChronicle updated its article clarifying that B&H Photo denied supplying the batteries for those pagers:
In a phone call to GoaChronicle and an email by B&H Photo post the release of the article. A representative of the PR firm of the company has informed us that they have not supplied the batteries for the pager.
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B&H Photo does not sell pager batteries
Even though B&H Photo has stated that it did not sell the pager batteries to Hezbollah, it is likely that some people will still believe that they are lying, or in on the conspiracy too.
Anyone who bothers to check B&H Photo will quickly realise that it does not sell any pager battery. In fact, B&H Photo only sells lithium-ion battery for cameras, camcorders, notebooks and laptops.
The only rechargeable batteries available on its website are standard Ni-MH batteries in the AAA, AA, C, and D sizes. It also sells non-rechargeable alkaline and lithium batteries in the AAA size. However, none of them are used in the pagers used by Hezbollah.
B&H Photo does not sell pagers either
In addition, claims that Hezbollah ordered those pagers from B&H Photo also appears to be false – B&H Photo does not sell any pager at all! So it will be quite impossible for Hezbollah to order any pager from B&H Photo.
Hezbollah pagers were mostly Gold Apollo AR924
According to The New York Times, Israel intercepted and tampered with a new batch of Apollo Gold pages that were being shipped to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Most of the pagers were the Rugged Pager AR924 model (archive), but three other Gold Apollo models were also part of the same shipment.
Gold Apollo founder and chairperson Hsu Ching-kuang explained to reporters on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, that the Gold Apollo AR924 model was actually manufactured under licence by its European distributor – B.A.C. Consulting, which is based in Budapest, Hungary.
Explosives were planted next to the battery
The Rugged Pager AR924 lasts for up to 85 days using a replaceable lithium-ion battery. However, video footage of the explosions suggest that an explosive was used, and it was not just the battery.
According to The New York Times, the explosive material was not hidden in the pager battery. Rather, the explosive was implanted next to the battery in each pager, together with a switch that could be triggered remotely to detonate the explosive.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
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