Bomb detonations reveal ‘incredible’ intelligence capabilities: former NSA chief

NASHVILLE, Tenn. —The detonation of several thousand Hezbollah bombs demonstrated an astonishing potential for intelligence gathering – probably that of Israel – and highlighted potential vulnerabilities in global supply chains, a former NSA chief said on Wednesday.

The perpetrators “had incredible skills to conduct targeted reconnaissance and actually know the numbers, to know who has them, [and] know how frequently they use them,” said retired Gen. Paul Nakasone, former director of the National Security Agency and commander of U.S. Cyber ​​​​Command.

On Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. local time, thousands of pagers exploded remotely in Lebanon. At least twelve people, including two children, were killed and around 2,800 others were injured. On Wednesday, a second wave of explosions – this time from walkie-talkies – killed at least 20 people and injured around 450.

The covert attack on the Iran-backed militant group shows that its agents are well known and that its targets are known “quite precisely,” said Nakasone, who added that he had no prior knowledge of the operation.

In recent months, Hezbollah has pursued a fairly straightforward technology strategy to evade Israeli intelligence, which has infiltrated the group's landlines and cellphones. But that move appears to have backfired after someone – many believe to be Israeli intelligence officials – appeared to have orchestrated a series of covert attacks on supply chains that turned the devices into deadly weapons.

A major concern right now is how such software hijackings could get into U.S. consumer products or devices, Nakasone said.

“Firstly, if it is a supply chain, [attack]I think about our own supply chains and what we need to do to ensure their integrity,” he said. “The second question is: If it wasn't a supply chain attack, how was it carried out?”

In recent weeks, and following Israeli airstrikes on his commanders, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has advised his militants to take a low-tech approach to fighting Israel. In February, he ordered a cellphone blackout to thwart Israel's intelligence efforts.

Israel has a long history of tampering with communications devices and detonating them on its targets. In 1996, Israel's Shin Bet tricked notorious Hamas bomb maker Yahya Ayyash into using a cell phone rigged with explosives, killing him instantly.

Nakasone, who resigned from his post in February, spoke to reporters at a news conference ahead of the opening of Vanderbilt University's National Security Institute, where he will lead the program designed to train young talent for roles in national security.