This sets a new bench-mark for state-sponsored terrorism - aka asymmetrical warfare.

It absolutely does, and yet I somehow have the feeling most people won't really take notice. No doubt governments will though.

Presumably, what can be done with pagers can be done with cell-phones - or any of the devices that we're all addicted to.
Imagine, at scale, a years long supply-chain of cellphones (from factories in China, for example), shipped to the US, all set to be detonated remotely, simultaneously.

Newsweek published a piece that touches on this. Some excerpts:

The details of how Israeli intelligence carried out the operation, said to be 15 years in the making, are still coming out.

15 years in the making. Assuming that's true, we all may be holding explosive devices. That's 15 years in the planning, obviously.

The coordinated operation, experts told Newsweek, underscores a global shift in battlefield dynamics, where traditional tactics are increasingly giving way to advanced technologies like explosive devices and kamikaze drones powered by artificial intelligence — often leveraging consumer electronics that are readily available online.

...defense analyst Hamze Attar said that modern warfare is moving away from traditional battlefields and toward cyber and covert operations.

...He warned that an advanced, coordinated cyberattack on cars or airplanes could result in mass casualties within seconds, as these systems are increasingly integrated with digital controls that can be compromised.

"If hackers manage to breach airplane systems, we'd face a global catastrophe, with planes falling from the sky. It's a frightening thought, but as a researcher, I expected this long ago," he said.

From Bruce Schneier:

"Countries like China could potentially insert booby traps in networking equipment, not to blow them up, but to eavesdrop. What does that mean for security concerns? Are we going to be allowed to take cellphones on airplanes?" Schneier said.

And as we've already seen in Ukraine, UAV's are now standard weapons.

From the article:

Beyond their immediate military applications, UAVs represent a shift in the broader strategy of modern armies. They offer the potential for lower-cost, high-impact operations that can be controlled remotely, reducing the risk to human soldiers while still allowing for deep strikes into enemy territory.

But as we've seen, humans don't have time to evaluate data and recommended actions from UAVs and so simply accept, meaning there is virtually no human element to warfare in those instances.

Another good reason not to be hopelessly dependent on Totalitarian regimes for most of your product manufacturing.

Yes! And another reason not to just blindly accept all new technology as some godsend.

Medicine is another weak point waiting to explode (figuratively). Plenty of dodgy characters running that industry in the west already, then massive reliance on China & India for production

Any type of medicine could be spiked - not necessarily the frothing at the mouth suddenly reaction, but maybe highly carcinogenic, so it's not immediately obvious it's even happening.

Russia seems to like using that approach in their assassinations, usually using something radioactive.