SRINAGAR: In a calculated and unprecedented intelligence operation, Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad dealt a significant blow to Hezbollah on September 17, 2024. The operation, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of Hezbollah militants, involved a covert scheme centred around booby-trapped pagers.
A prelude to cell phones, Pagers are communication devices which receive texts almost the same way as an SMS. It is unidirectional communication. These devices were ingeniously disguised as essential communication tools and distributed to Hezbollah fighters, resulting in one of the most devastating intelligence coups in recent history.
According to a detailed report by The Washington Post, the seeds of the operation were sown as early as 2022. Israel’s Mossad, known for its advanced espionage tactics, designed a line of pagers branded under the Taiwanese Apollo name. Hezbollah, known for its suspicion of Israeli electronic surveillance, was duped into purchasing 5,000 of these devices, convinced they were secure from Israeli tracking. The pagers, robust and seemingly perfect for battlefield use, were distributed among mid-level fighters and support personnel in both Lebanon and Syria.
Unbeknownst to Hezbollah, the devices were more than simple communication tools—they were bombs. Mossad engineers had embedded a small yet powerful explosive within each pager’s battery pack. A two-step de-encryption process to read secure messages ensured that users would hold the pagers with both hands, maximizing the physical damage when the devices exploded. This led to the killing or maiming of approximately 3,000 Hezbollah members, many of them rear-echelon figures. The Times of Israel confirmed this detail, emphasising that the operation aimed to inflict maximum injury by causing operatives to hold the devices in a manner that left them vulnerable to debilitating injuries.
The operation was part of a years-long plan by Mossad, devised to infiltrate Hezbollah’s communication networks. Israeli intelligence officials exploited Hezbollah’s search for secure communication devices, presenting the Taiwanese-branded Apollo AR924 pagers as the perfect solution. The devices were secretly assembled in Israel under Mossad’s supervision, ensuring that even disassembly or X-ray examination of the pagers would not reveal their deadly payload.
What truly set this operation apart was its timing. Mossad’s strategic patience paid off after waiting nearly two years for the right moment to strike. Hezbollah had grown increasingly reliant on the Apollo pagers, believing they had successfully procured secure communication channels free from Israeli interference. The decision to target communication devices rather than more conventional targets, such as weaponry or supply routes, showcased Israel’s shift towards innovative, technology-driven warfare.
The Washington Post report highlights that on September 17, thousands of pagers across Lebanon and Syria began vibrating, displaying a message: “You received an encrypted message.” As Hezbollah operatives followed instructions to decrypt the messages, the devices detonated. A secondary remote detonation occurred moments later, destroying even more devices. The following day, Hezbollah’s walkie-talkies, which Mossad had similarly booby-trapped over nearly a decade, were also detonated, compounding the damage.
The operation proved to be a devastating blow, but it didn’t stop there. Following the initial detonation, chaos erupted within Hezbollah’s ranks, as the group scrambled to assess the extent of the damage. Leadership figures were unable to communicate, and the sudden loss of thousands of operatives sent shockwaves through the organisation. This incapacitation allowed Israeli forces to take advantage of the confusion, launching airstrikes on key Hezbollah installations.
In response, Hezbollah was initially paralysed. The loss of rear-echelon support personnel, the very individuals responsible for maintaining logistical and supply chains, severely crippled their ability to launch an effective counter-offensive. Hezbollah’s military operations in Syria, where they had been a major force supporting the Assad regime, were also disrupted. Reports indicated that Hezbollah’s supply lines and command infrastructure in Syria faced significant operational difficulties following the attacks. Besides, Israeli intelligence exploited the chaos to strike high-value targets, including Hezbollah’s senior leadership, further destabilising the group.
The success of this operation sparked significant debate within Israel’s security establishment. While some officials marvelled at the operation’s brilliance, others expressed concerns over its potential repercussions. Mossad’s long-standing eavesdropping on Hezbollah had provided invaluable intelligence, but turning that surveillance into lethal action marked a new escalation. Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, faced difficult decisions on whether to proceed with the attacks, knowing they could provoke severe retaliation from Hezbollah and Iran.
Israeli military officials, however, were quick to point out that this preemptive strike had disrupted a series of planned Hezbollah attacks. A classified intelligence briefing revealed that Hezbollah had been preparing a major offensive along Israel’s northern border, which could have involved both missile attacks and ground incursions. By disrupting Hezbollah’s communications infrastructure, Israel effectively delayed or neutralised these plans, buying precious time for further defensive measures to be put in place along the border.
On September 27, Israeli forces launched a series of further airstrikes, culminating in the bombing of Hezbollah’s deeply buried headquarters in Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburb, a known Hezbollah stronghold. The headquarters, equipped with state-of-the-art defences, had been targeted by Israeli airstrikes before but had survived previous attempts. This time, with Hezbollah’s communication and logistics networks crippled, the Israeli military was able to penetrate the heavily fortified facility with precision-guided munitions. The strike resulted in significant casualties among Hezbollah’s top leadership, compounding the group’s losses from the pager operation.
The operation also provoked a strong reaction from Iran, Hezbollah’s chief backer. Tehran, furious over the scale of the losses and the unprecedented breach of Hezbollah’s security, retaliated by firing a series of missiles at Israeli military positions. Israel’s Iron Dome defence system intercepted many of these missiles, but tensions between Israel and Iran escalated dramatically as a result. Regional analysts fear that the operation may have triggered a new phase of hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed axis of Hezbollah and Syria.
While the death toll of Hezbollah operatives mounted, the broader implications of the operation continue to unfold. Israel’s political and military leadership remains wary of the operation’s long-term consequences. However, as The Washington Post noted, the operation demonstrated Israel’s capacity for innovation in intelligence and warfare, marking it as one of Mossad’s most audacious successes to date.
