Ex-Israeli agents reveal how pager attacks were carried out

Two erstwhile Israeli quality agents person revealed however members of the Lebanese Shia militant radical Hezbollah utilized Israeli made walkie-talkies booby-trapped with explosives for 10 years earlier they were detonated successful a astonishment onslaught successful September this year.

The 2 ex-Mossad agents told US CBS News however the work duped Hezbollah into buying thousands of rigged walkie-talkies and pagers without realising they were made successful Israel.

Dozens of radical were killed and thousands injured successful the attacks. Israel said it was tailored to people lone Hezbollah members, but civilians were among victims, Lebanese officials said.

The UN quality rights main called the onslaught a warfare crime.

At the clip of the attack, Israel and Hezbollah were warring a struggle which had spiralled since Hezbollah fired astatine Israeli positions a time aft Hamas's unprecedented onslaught connected confederate Israel 7 October 2023.

On 17 September 2024, thousands of pagers simultaneously exploded crossed Lebanon, chiefly successful areas with a beardown Hezbollah presence. The blasts wounded oregon killed users and immoderate radical nearby, spreading panic and confusion. The pursuing time walkie-talkies exploded successful the aforesaid way, sidesplitting and injuring hundreds more.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel was liable 2 months later, Israeli media reported astatine the time.

In an interrogation with the BBC's US broadcast partner, the 2 erstwhile agents divulged details of the operation.

One of the agents, fixed the sanction Michael, said Mossad had concealed an explosive instrumentality wrong the batteries operating the walkie-talkies, which helium said would typically beryllium carried successful a vest nearer the wearer's heart.

He said Hezbollah had unwittingly bought implicit 16,000 the walkie talkies astatine "a bully price" from a fake institution 10 years ago.

"We person an unthinkable array of possibilities of creating overseas companies that person nary mode being traced backmost to Israel," Michael said. "Shell companies implicit ammunition companies to impact the proviso concatenation to our favour.

"We make a unreal world. We are a planetary accumulation company. We constitute the screenplay, we're the directors, we're the producers, we're the main actors, and the satellite is our stage."

The cognition expanded 2 years agone to see pagers, CBS said.

Mossad recovered that astatine that clip Hezbollah was buying pagers from a Taiwanese institution called Gold Apollo, it said. It acceptable up a fake institution which utilized the Gold Apollo sanction connected pagers rigged with explosives, without the genitor institution realising.

CBS said Mossad enactment explosives wrong almighty capable to wounded lone the user.

"We trial everything triple, double, aggregate times successful bid to marque definite determination is minimum damage," said the 2nd agent, whom the programme called Gabriel.

It said Mossad specifically chose a ringtone which would dependable urgent capable for idiosyncratic to cheque successful incoming message.

Gabriel said the bureau duped Hezbollah into buying the pagers, making advertizing films and brochures, and sharing them connected the internet.

"When they are buying from us, they person zero hint that they are buying from the Mossad," helium said. "We marque similar [movie] Truman Show, everything is controlled by america down the scene."

Hezbollah had bought 5,000 of the booby trapped pagers by September 2024, CBS said.

They were triggered from Israel erstwhile Mossad feared Hezbollah began to person suspicions, it said.

The explosions caused shockwaves crossed Lebanon, with detonations happening everyplace the pagers were being carried, including successful supermarkets. Hospitals were overwhelmed with casualties, galore of whom had been maimed.

Gabriel said determination was a "strong rumour" that radical besides fell unfortunate successful beforehand of the Hezbollah person Hassan Nasrallah.

Days later, with Hezbollah inactive reeling from the attack, Israel began aggravated waves of aerial strikes against Hezbollah targets, followed by a crushed penetration of Lebanon.

The 2 sides agreed to a ceasefire connected 26 November.

Lebanon powerfully condemned the pager and walkie talkie attacks, portion the UN's quality rights chief, Volker Turk, said they had near him "appalled".

The method of attacks, helium said, "violates planetary quality rights instrumentality and, arsenic applicable, planetary humanitarian law".