Full Analysis Summary
Alleged Lebanon pager attack
A new biography of Palantir co-founder Alex Karp, reported by Middle East Eye and Harici, alleges that Israeli forces used Palantir software to carry out a coordinated 'pager' attack in Lebanon in September 2024 that targeted thousands of pagers, many held by Hezbollah members and civilians.
The accounts say devices were rigged to show 'error' messages, vibrate and then detonate, drawing users or relatives close before explosions.
Further devices were detonated during funeral processions the following day.
The book labels the operation 'Operation Grim Beeper' and attributes to it 42 deaths and thousands injured, with many sustaining life-changing injuries to faces, eyes and hands.
Coverage Differences
Tone and additional allegations
Middle East Eye (Western Alternative) includes expanded allegations reported from the book about Palantir’s role beyond software provision — saying engineers were sent from London to assist Israeli users and notes condemnation from UN experts and rights campaigners calling the attacks a grave breach of international law. Harici (West Asian) reports the book’s core claims about the pager attacks and casualties but in the available excerpt does not include the additional claims about Palantir engineers or international condemnation.
Summary of pager bombings
Both sources describe the mechanics and immediate human toll of the attacks in similar terms.
Thousands of pagers were reportedly booby-trapped to emit error messages and vibrate, luring people close, after which explosions were triggered, with additional blasts at funerals the next day.
Reported casualty figures in both snippets are 42 killed and thousands wounded.
Survivors are described as suffering severe, life-changing injuries.
Coverage Differences
Detail emphasis and phrasing
Harici (West Asian) focuses tightly on the attack mechanics and casualties in its summary of the book, emphasizing that many pagers belonged to Hezbollah members and noting the inclusion of civilians. Middle East Eye (Western Alternative) provides the same attack details but adds the claim that the operation had a name ("Operation Grim Beeper") and highlights descriptions of specific injury types (eyes, faces and hands).
Palantir use allegations
The Middle East Eye excerpt alleges Palantir was used operationally by Israel.
The book’s author is quoted saying Palantir’s software was used in strikes targeting Hezbollah leadership.
The author also reportedly said the company sent engineers from London to assist Israeli users after demand rose following the October 2023 Gaza war.
Harici’s excerpt reports the book’s claim that Israel used Palantir software in the pager attacks.
Harici’s provided snippet does not mention the engineers or the additional strike-related claims.
Coverage Differences
Omission vs. expanded allegation
Middle East Eye (Western Alternative) reports the book’s further claims about engineer deployment and use in leadership-targeting strikes and cites reactions from UN experts and rights campaigners. Harici (West Asian) reports the central allegation that Palantir software was used in the pager attacks but in the available text omits the additional allegations about engineers or explicit mention of international condemnation. This difference reflects variation in what each outlet chose to excerpt or emphasize from the book.
Framing and sourcing
The Middle East Eye piece reports reactions that include condemnation from UN experts and rights campaigners.
According to the snippet, those actors described the attacks as a grave breach of international law.
That framing is absent from the Harici excerpt.
Both sources attribute their information to the new biography by Michael Steinberger or to a book about Alex Karp.
Both present the claims as reported allegations from that book rather than as independently verified facts.
Coverage Differences
Framing and sourcing
Middle East Eye (Western Alternative) frames the revelations with international legal condemnation and explicit critical language ("grave breach of international law"), while Harici (West Asian) reports the allegations more narrowly without including the quoted international response in the excerpt provided. Both sources, however, report the claims as coming from a book rather than presenting them as independently corroborated facts.
Source limitations and framing
Limitations and unresolved questions remain: both snippets attribute the claims to a book — either a biography by Michael Steinberger or a new book about Alex Karp — rather than presenting primary-source evidence within the excerpts provided.
Neither excerpt includes direct sourcing such as leaked documents, statements from Palantir, or independent verification of the alleged engineer deployments or of the technical chain linking software to detonations.
Given the limited source set of two excerpts, reporting differences largely reflect editorial choices about which book details and reactions to highlight.
Coverage Differences
Uncertainty and source coverage
Both sources report the book’s allegations, but Middle East Eye includes more extensive secondary claims (engineer assistance, UN condemnation) while Harici sticks to the core alleged event and casualty figures; neither excerpt provides independent corroboration. This means the available reporting shows consistency on the central allegation but divergence in the breadth of claims each outlet reproduces.