Israel’s Pager Operation Disoriented and Severely Damaged Hezbollah, Here’s How They Did It
It was a turning point in the war launched by Hezbollah on October 8 in solidarity with Hamas after its October 7 attack on Israel.
You likely remember that in mid-September 2024, Israel simultaneously exploded thousands of pagers used exclusively by Hezbollah members high enough in importance to warrant a need for immediate means of communication. These were not civilian pagers. The pagers, along with walkie-talkies, had become the favorite means of communication to get Hezbollah messages to its terrorist members because Hezbollah feared Israel was monitoring cell phones.
Video and other reports reflected the pagers going off in hands, and pockets, on hips, and in faces throughout Lebanon and even Syria.
Breaking: Lebanese and other sources are reporting that Israel has attacked Hezbollah’s communications devices (beepers) in its government quarter in Beirut. Similar reports are coming in from Damascus, Syria. At the same time Israel has hit strategic targets in northeast… pic.twitter.com/ysmiCfR7as
— Marc Zell (@GOPIsrael) September 17, 2024
The pagers reportedly carried a notification that there was an encrypted message requiring the recipient to push two buttons that could only be pressed using two hands, thereby maximizing damage. Because many Hezbollah members raised the pagers to their faces to read the supposed message, the pagers blew up in their faces blinding many of them. Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon had parts of his hands blown off, raising the obvious question why the Iranian Ambassador carried a Hezbollah pager.
Lacking cell phones or pagers, Hezbollah members fell back on their trusted walkie-talkies. The next day, Israel blew those up too, causing almost as much damage as the pagers.
🚨 Breaking: Thousands of Hezbollah radio devices ("Walkie-Talkie") have exploded during the past hour, in what appears to be the second wave of the attack..
Below is a footage from today, exploding during the funeral of another Hezbollah terrorist who was killed yesterday 👇 pic.twitter.com/o3ljPtgSZo
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) September 18, 2024
While there has been no definitive release of how many Hezbollah members died as a result of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies, it’s clear that many thousands were severely injured.
Hezbollah terrorists who were injured by pagers and walkie-talkies visited the grave of Imam Ali Reza in Mashhad, Iran.
— Olia (@OliaOnX) October 8, 2024
It was a turning point in the war launched by Hezbollah on October 8 in solidarity with Hamas after its October 7 attack on Israel. It stunned and embarrassed Hezbollah.
Lacking cell phones, pagers, or walkie-talkies to communicate, almost the entire chain of command of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan special forces gathered in person to meet to plan a counter-attack. Israel then bombed that meeting wiping out a large portion of Hezbollah’s most experienced commanders.
JUST IN 🚨
A senior Hezbollah official told Al-Monitor that the meeting in which Aqil and other high-ranking members were killed in Dahieh was meant to review plans for a ground invasion into Israeli territory, in response to the pager explosions. pic.twitter.com/UDdgNu3ZW5
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 22, 2024
The rest, as they say, is history, leading to the killing of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, and the elimination of the entire Hezbollah command chain. While Hezbollah was not completely destroyed, it had to beg for a ceasefire. Hezbollah no longer was able to help defend the Assad regime in Syria, which it had propped up on behalf of Iran, and Assad ended up falling as well.
Those pagers set off a sequence of events that changed the region in ways we cannot yet fully understand.
But how did Israel do it? There have been many accounts involving Israel’s Mossad inserting itself into the supply chain, but none as detailed as the interview on 60 Minutes by Leslie Stahl of two supposed Mossad operatives. Of course, we have no way of knowing that they really are Mossad operatives, but they did seem legitimate.
The walkie-talkie operation was ten-years in the making. The pagers shorter but still over several years.
For the first time, ex-Mossad agents who led Israel’s exploding pager and walkie-talkie plot against Hezbollah in Lebanon tell @60minutes’ Lesley Stahl how the plot came together, including making fake advertising to entice the group to buy larger pagers. pic.twitter.com/pDdIcmxGIo
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) December 23, 2024
Here are some short clips followed by the full segment.
A former Mossad agent says the spy agency tested the pagers to ensure there was just enough explosive to harm the Hezbollah fighter — but not the person next to him. https://t.co/jbjgviSYyx pic.twitter.com/KJ93uZkpjf
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) December 23, 2024
On @60Minutes, recently retired Mossad agents "Gabriel" and "Michael" described to Lesley Stahl how and why the pager operation was a major turning point in the Iran-backed war on Israel. pic.twitter.com/tmuCrQ2H2p
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) December 23, 2024
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Comments
How did they do it? I do not care…
I am very happy they did….
Still makes me smile! How’s the hand Mohammed?
Mossad has almost as many tricks up their sleeve as the boy in Home Alone.
An attack ten years in the making. That takes serious trade craft, not to mention determination. If only we could have some confidence that the US has an agency that’s even in the same league.
I am glad we don’t. It would have been used against our own people
Good luck, Jim.
They are too busy spying on parents who don’t want their kids fiddled by Democrats.
We do. But they have spent the last 12 years using their skills against US citizens and their duly elected president.
We could have this but somebody would have leaked it to the press.
October 7 marked the turning point in the war on Israel. Hamas and by extension Iran expected the same reaction to all other attacks. A tit for tat, a few targeted strikes and then Israel backing down because the UN and America told them to not react. What they got was an insanely angry Israel who would not be held back and that had the equipment and will to end it.
And thank heaven they did. Biden is a disgrace to America for all he’s done to prevent Israel from defending herself. Now if only blue cities and states in America would let citizens defend themselves.
A brilliant tactic, hijacking your opponent’s supply chain. It’s almost as if the US had outsourced its most critical manufacturing capabilities to an opponent like China. Oh, wait . . .
That iPhone 18 will be really special.
One of the best ops in history. Right up there with the Trojan Horse.
I hope the pagers had a message like, “Shalom, Goat-diddler” before popping.
From the liver to the knee…
Shalom
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