Israel's Mossad explodes thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah

BEIRUT,— Israel’s spy agency, Mossad, carried out a secret operation by hiding explosives inside 5,000 pagers that Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group, had imported.

These devices were set off in a coordinated attack on Tuesday, killing nine people and injuring nearly 3,000, including Hezbollah fighters and an Iranian diplomat. This event is being called one of the biggest security failures in Hezbollah’s history, according to senior Lebanese security officials.

The operation spanned continents, with a trail from Taiwan to Budapest, marking an unprecedented breach of Hezbollah’s internal security. Thousands of pagers across Lebanon exploded in near unison, causing widespread casualties and deepening tensions in the already volatile region. Mossad’s sophisticated plot was reportedly months in the making and has sent shockwaves through Hezbollah’s ranks.

According to a Lebanese security source, the pagers were initially obtained from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, a company known for producing such devices. However, Gold Apollo released a statement distancing itself from the events, stating that the pagers were not manufactured by them but by BAC, a company based in Budapest. BAC had a license to use the Gold Apollo brand, but further details about the company’s involvement remain unclear.

Hezbollah, supported by Iran, has promised to strike back against Israel in response to the attack. Israel’s military has not commented on the incident, maintaining its policy of silence regarding covert operations. The pager blasts have escalated concerns about the fragile situation along Israel’s northern border, where tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have been growing, particularly since the eruption of the Gaza conflict last October.

Mohanad Hage Ali, an expert at the Carnegie Middle East Center, noted that while Hezbollah is keen to avoid a full-scale war, the impact of the pager explosions on civilians and fighters could lead to increased pressure for a more forceful response. Hezbollah reiterated its commitment to supporting Gaza while promising retribution for what it called Tuesday’s “massacre.”

The planning behind the operation appears to have been extensive. The Lebanese source confirmed that Hezbollah had ordered the 5,000 pagers from Gold Apollo earlier in the year. The company’s founder, Hsu Ching-Kuang, claimed that the devices involved in the blasts were manufactured by BAC in Hungary, a company that has yet to provide a comprehensive explanation for its role. The Budapest address linked to BAC is registered in a residential area, with little sign of an operational presence.

The model of pager identified in the explosions, the AP-924, is a basic communication tool that displays text messages but lacks the ability to make phone calls. Hezbollah had been using these low-tech devices in an effort to evade Israeli tracking, sources familiar with the group’s communication methods told reporters earlier this year.

However, Mossad’s team reportedly modified the pagers at the production stage, embedding tiny explosive components within the devices. These explosives were activated remotely via a coded message, causing the coordinated blasts that killed and maimed so many. A second security source revealed that up to three grams of explosives were hidden in each pager, going undetected for months despite Hezbollah’s vigilance.

Mossad is known for executing complex and high-stakes operations, including cyberattacks and the targeted assassination of key figures, such as the recent killing of an Iranian scientist. In this instance, the agency’s deep infiltration of Hezbollah appears to have resulted in one of the group’s most significant security failures.

Hezbollah, already reeling from the escalating conflict with Israel, has suffered considerable losses in recent months, with many of its fighters targeted in Israeli strikes. The group had drawn up war plans earlier this year to address gaps in its intelligence capabilities, yet Tuesday’s attack has exposed those vulnerabilities on an unprecedented scale.

Jonathan Panikoff, a former U.S. intelligence official, remarked that this incident could be considered one of Hezbollah’s worst counterintelligence failures in decades. In a bid to counter Israeli surveillance, Hezbollah had urged its members to avoid using mobile phones, even advising them to destroy or hide their devices in iron boxes. Instead, the group opted to distribute pagers, which it believed were a safer alternative.

However, this strategy backfired, with devastating consequences. Footage from hospitals across Lebanon shows the extent of the damage caused by the blasts, with many Hezbollah members suffering severe injuries, including missing limbs and deep wounds where the pagers were worn.

This dramatic escalation comes amid a broader conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, with missile and artillery exchanges continuing daily since the October 7, 2023 attack by Islamic Hamas militants on southern Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant recently warned that time for a diplomatic solution to the standoff with Hezbollah is running out, further heightening fears of a regional conflict that could draw in powers like the U.S. and Iran.

While international observers do not believe the pager blasts signal an imminent Israeli ground offensive, the incident underscores the depth of Israel’s intelligence capabilities. Paul Pillar, a former CIA official, noted that the operation demonstrated Israel’s ability to penetrate its adversaries in highly sophisticated ways. With tensions still simmering, the attack marks a new chapter in the shadow war between Israel and Hezbollah.

(With files from Reuters)