Israel’s Mossad spy agency reportedly infiltrated Hezbollah’s communication systems by planting explosives in 5,000 pagers ordered by the Lebanese group. According to a senior Lebanese security source and another individual, the operation, which had been in place for months, culminated in detonations on Tuesday, resulting in nine deaths and nearly 3,000 injuries, including Hezbollah members and Iran’s envoy to Beirut.
The pagers, which were sourced from Taiwan-based company Gold Apollo, were manufactured by BAC under a brand license, according to company officials. While the devices were supposedly designed for secure communication, Israeli intelligence allegedly modified them during production to include explosive material triggered by a coded message, making detection difficult for Hezbollah.
The attack represents a significant security breach for Hezbollah, which has historically used pagers as a low-tech communication method to evade Israeli tracking. Mossad’s infiltration into this system marks one of Hezbollah’s largest counterintelligence failures, leaving the group reeling. This comes amid increasing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah following the outbreak of the Gaza conflict.
Hezbollah, which vowed retaliation, has been engaged in cross-border warfare with Israel, escalating fears of a broader regional conflict involving Iran and the United States. Despite this, experts see the pager blasts as a sign of Israel’s intelligence capabilities rather than an indication of an imminent ground offensive. However, the attack showcases Israel’s deep penetration into Hezbollah’s operations, further straining the already precarious situation along the northern border.