Benjamin Netanyahu Defends Military Campaigns in UNGA Address

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his country’s military campaigns during a September 2024 address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, brandishing a pager to emphasize operations against militant groups. Holding up the device, Netanyahu stated that Tel Aviv has fought wars on multiple fronts for years and dismissed allegations of genocide in Gaza as the biggest lie of the century, according to verified accounts of the speech.

The reference to the communication device directly recalled coordinated explosions across Lebanon on September 17 and 18, 2024. Thousands of pagers and hundreds of hand-held walkie-talkies detonated in multiple locations, disrupting Hezbollah operations and leaving more than 3,000 members of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group seriously wounded. The blasts resulted in severe injuries, including lost eyesight, fingers, and hearing, while the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that subsequent walkie-talkie explosions the following day killed 20 people.

Mossad Operation and Device Modification

Details regarding the covert operation surfaced after the attacks, revealing extensive planning by Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad. Two retired senior Mossad agents told CBS News that work on weaponizing the walkie-talkies began over a decade prior to their detonation. According to those reports, the walkie-talkie functioned as a weapon comparable to a bullet, missile, or mortar.

Investigations by Reuters and other outlets detailed how Mossad planted explosives inside devices ordered by Hezbollah months ahead of the blasts. To bypass Hezbollah’s internal checks, Israeli intelligence created fake online stores, pages, and posts while establishing a complete backstory for the new products. A Reuters report citing two sources familiar with the matter noted that when Hezbollah received the devices in February 2024, the group passed them through airport security without detecting explosives.

The pagers contained a thin, square sheet of six grams of white pentaerythritol tetranitrate plastic explosive fitted between two rectangular battery cells, as described by a Lebanese source and photographic evidence cited by Reuters. Because the explosive material and battery structure remained small, X-ray equipment failed to trace the components before activation.

UNGA Address and Multi-Front Conflict

During his appearance at the United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu used the pager as a visual prop to highlight Israel’s ongoing military engagements. He asked the audience if they knew of any other country the size of New Jersey capable of fighting for three years across seven fronts.

While Hezbollah blamed Israel immediately following the 2024 attacks, Israel initially offered neither confirmation nor denial. In November 2024, Netanyahu officially confirmed that he had authorized the operation. By displaying the device at the United Nations, the Prime Minister underscored his government’s continued intent to pursue military objectives against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran.