In a startling development, Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, allegedly orchestrated a covert operation involving explosive-laden pagers in Lebanon. The incident, which occurred on September 12, 2024, resulted in detonations across the country, causing significant casualties and raising tensions in the region.
According to sources, Mossad reportedly planted small amounts of explosives inside 5,000 Taiwan-made pagers ordered by Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi'a Islamist political party and militant group. This operation, unprecedented in its scale and sophistication, led to the death of nine individuals and left nearly 3,000 others wounded, including Hezbollah fighters and Iran's envoy to Beirut.
The pagers, manufactured by Gold Apollo in Taiwan, were reportedly modified at the production level to include a hidden explosive component. A senior Lebanese security source stated:
"The Mossad injected a board inside of the device that has explosive material that receives a code. It's very hard to detect it through any means. Even with any device or scanner."
This incident marks a significant security breach for Hezbollah, which had been using pagers as a low-tech communication method to evade Israeli location-tracking. The group, founded in 1985, has long been engaged in conflict with Israel, with tensions escalating since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on October 7, 2023.
The pager explosions come at a time of mounting concern about the potential for a wider regional conflict. While the Gaza Strip, a 365 square kilometer area, has been the primary focus of recent hostilities, the situation along the 120-kilometer Israel-Lebanon border remains precarious.
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel, whose military has declined to comment on the blasts. The group's Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, had previously warned supporters about the dangers of using phones in a televised speech on February 13, 2024.
This incident demonstrates the ongoing intelligence war between Israel and its adversaries. The Mossad, established in 1949, has a long history of covert operations. Similarly, the Lebanese-Israeli border has been a hotspot of conflict, with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) present since 1978.
As tensions continue to simmer, the international community watches closely, with concerns about potential escalation involving regional powers and their allies. The situation remains fluid, with both sides seemingly poised for further action in this long-standing conflict.