Former Israeli agents reveal how Hezbollah pager attacks were carried out

At the time of the attack, Israel and Hezbollah were fighting a conflict that erupted after Hamas shelled Israeli positions on October 7, 2023, a day after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel.

On September 17, 2024, thousands of pagers went off simultaneously in Lebanon, mostly in areas where Hezbollah is strong. The explosions injured or killed users and some bystanders, causing panic and confusion. The next day, radios exploded in the same way, killing and injuring hundreds.

Israeli media reported at that time that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel was responsible two months later.

In an interview with the BBC’s US broadcast partner, externaltwo former agents revealed details of the operation.

One of the agents, identified only as Michael, said the Mossad had hidden an explosive device inside the batteries that powered the radios, which would normally be carried in a vest close to the wearer’s heart.

According to him, Hezbollah unwittingly bought more than 16,000 radios from a fake company “at a good price” 10 years ago.

“We have incredible opportunities to create foreign companies that are not Israeli in any way,” Michael said. “Let the shell companies influence the supply chain over the shell companies in our favor.

“We create an ambitious world. We are a global production company. We write the script, we are the director, producer, lead actors, and the world is our stage.”

The operation expanded to include pagers two years ago, CBS said.

The Mossad discovered that Hezbollah had bought a pager from a Taiwanese company called Gold Apollo at that time. He set up a fake company that used the Golden Apollo name on pagers rigged with explosives without the parent company’s knowledge.

CBS reported that the Mossad placed an explosive inside only powerful enough to harm the user.

“We’re testing everything triple, double, multiple times to make sure there’s minimal damage,” said a second agent the program called Gabriel.

It was reported that the Mossad specifically chose a ringtone that would sound urgent enough for someone to check an incoming message.

Gabriel said the agency tricked Hezbollah into buying pagers, producing commercials and pamphlets and sharing them online.

“They have no idea what they’re getting from the Mossad when they’re getting it from us,” he said. “We’re making (a movie) like The Truman Show, everything is controlled by us behind the scenes.”

CBS reported that Hezbollah had purchased 5,000 pagers by September 2024.

They were provoked from Israel when the Mossad feared that Hezbollah would become suspicious.

The blasts sent shockwaves through Lebanon, with blasts hitting everywhere pagers were carried, including supermarkets. Hospitals were full of wounded, many of them crippled.

Gabriel said that there are “strong rumors” that people were also sacrificed in front of the then leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrullah.

Days later, with Hezbollah still reluctant to attack, Israel launched a wave of intense airstrikes against Hezbollah targets, followed by a ground attack on Lebanon.

Both sides agreed on a ceasefire on November 26.

Lebanon strongly condemned the pager and walkie-talkie attacks, while the UN human rights commissioner said Volker Türk said they left him “terrified”., external.

The method of attack, he said, “violates international human rights law and, as applicable, international humanitarian law.”