At the least 39 Iran-backed Hezbollah members had been killed and practically 3,000 others injured when a whole lot of pagers and walkie-talkies utilized by them exploded throughout Lebanon in an operation by Israel in September.
Israel’s Mossad intelligence company planted explosives inside pagers ordered by Hezbollah months earlier than the blasts on September 17 and 18.
Two lately retired senior Mossad brokers, who had been among the many key members behind the key operation, advised CBS Information that the work on weaponizing the walkie-talkies started greater than a decade earlier than Israel used them in September after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu permitted the assault.
“The walkie-talkie was a weapon, identical to a bullet or a missile or a mortar,” Michael (title modified) advised CBS News.
“We would like them to really feel weak, which they’re,” he added.
Michael stated they can not use the pagers once more as a result of they have already got, however warned Hezbollah that they’ve already moved on to the “subsequent factor”.
“They’re going to must carry on attempting to guess what the following factor is,” he stated.
Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in a lethal struggle throughout the Lebanese border because the war in Gaza erupted after Hamas attacked Israeli cities on October 7 final 12 months. The preventing has resulted within the deaths of greater than 4,000 folks, together with senior Hezbollah members just like the group’s chief Hassan Nasrallah, and the displacement of tens of 1000’s on each side of the border.
Detailing the within story of the Israeli operation, Michael advised CBS Information that the walkie-talkie battery was made in Israel at a Mossad facility and included an explosive system.
He claimed that Hezbollah purchased greater than 16,000 of the exploding gadgets, a few of which had been finally used in opposition to them in September.
“They received a superb value,” he stated.
The previous Mossad agent additionally revealed that the worth could not be too low as a result of Israel did not need Hezbollah members to be suspicious. He additionally stated Mossad wanted to cover its id as the vendor and make sure the walkie-talkies could not be traced again to Israel, which is why they arrange shell corporations to infiltrate the provision chain.
“We create a fake world. We’re a worldwide manufacturing firm: We write the screenplay, we are the administrators, we are the producers, we’re the principle actors,” he stated. “And the world is our stage.”
How Mossad Designed Pagers For Hezbollah
Former Mossad agent Gabriel, who additionally spoke to CBS Information utilizing a false title, stated the walkie-talkies had been designed to enter armoured tactical vests utilized in battle, however Mossad needed to plant gadgets that Hezbollah members would have on them always. So, the company started improvement on boobytrapped pagers in 2022, he stated.
He stated Mossad had discovered that Hezbollah members had been shopping for pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo.
The Gold Apollo pagers had been smooth, and glossy and will match into pockets. Mossad wanted a bigger pager to suit explosives inside, he stated.
Gabriel stated utilizing dummies, Mossad began conducting exams with the pager inside a padded glove, held subsequent to the dummy’s face, to calibrate the grams of powdered explosive wanted to be simply sufficient to harm the fighter, and never the particular person subsequent to him. The plan was solely to harm Hezbollah members with pagers, not folks close by, he stated.
“We check all the things, triple, double, a number of instances to verify there’s minimal harm,” he stated.
He additionally revealed that Mossad arrange shell corporations, together with one in Hungary, to dupe Gold Apollo into working with it. Mossad totally manufactured the pagers and had a licensing partnership with Gold Apollo, so all the things regarded legit to Hezbollah.
“When they’re shopping for from us, they’ve zero clue that they’re shopping for from the Mossad. We make just like the ‘Truman Present,’ all the things is managed by us behind the scenes,” he stated.
“Of their expertise, all the things is regular. The whole lot was 100% kosher,” he added.
Mossad additionally employed the Gold Apollo salesperson Hezbollah was used to working with, who was unaware she was working with the Israeli spy company. Gabriel stated she provided Hezbollah the primary batch of pagers as an improve, freed from cost and by September 2024, Hezbollah members had about 5,000 pagers of their pockets.
Gabriel stated the purpose of the walkie-talkie and pager plot wasn’t to kill folks.
“If he is simply useless, so he is useless,” he stated. “But when he’s wounded, it’s a must to take him to the hospital, maintain him. You want to make investments cash and energy. And people folks with out arms and eyes reside proof, strolling in Lebanon, of ‘do not mess with us.'”