Israel’s Covert Operation: Blowing Up Hezbollah Pagers in Lebanon and Syria

Israel accelerated its plan to detonate explosive-laced pagers used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon and Syria due to concerns that their covert operations could be compromised by the militant group, according to three US officials.

A US official revealed that Israel informed Washington about the timing of the attack on September 17, stating, “It was a use it or lose it moment.” This decision was made after Israeli leaders expressed concerns that the devices could be detected by Hezbollah.

Although the coordinated attack on Hezbollah is believed to have been carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, the country has yet to comment on the matter.

The explosions resulted in the deaths of at least nine people and injured over 2,800 across Lebanon. Hezbollah reported that many of its military unit members were among the casualties.

A former Israeli official with knowledge of the operation stated that Israeli intelligence initially intended to use the explosive-laced pagers as a precursor to a full-scale conflict with Hezbollah. However, the risk of detection prompted a change in plans.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Israeli government ministers, along with the heads of the Defense Forces and the intelligence agency, decided to execute the plan sooner rather than risking the devices being detected by Hezbollah, according to a US official.

Hezbollah members had recently raised concerns about the pagers, which may have contributed to Israel’s decision to accelerate the operation.

On September 16, US President Joe Biden’s top adviser, Amos Hochstein, met with Israeli officials, including the prime minister and defense minister, who discussed the possibility of the plan being discovered. However, they did not disclose any information about the impending operation.

On the afternoon of September 17, Israeli Defense Minister Gallant informed his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, that an operation in Lebanon would soon be launched, but refused to provide further details. The pagers exploded across Lebanon just seven minutes later.