In a span of two days, a macabre wave of explosions erupted across Lebanon. The dead and wounded were everywhere: pagers and two-way radios used by Hezbollah militants had detonated in their hands, homes, and offices—even during funerals. The blasts marked the latest chapter in Israel's shadow war against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, responsible for lobbing rockets into northern Israel for nearly a year. At least 30 people were killed, over thousands wounded in these explosions, and the scale of destruction hinted at meticulous preparation by Israeli intelligence.
The twin attacks have left Hezbollah in shock, reeling from what is now understood to be one of the most intricate operations of Israel’s intelligence agency - Mossad .
The anatomy of the attacks: Pagers to walkie-talkies
As per a New York Times report, the operation began with a chorus of beeps echoing across Lebanon. Pagers, long considered a secure alternative to cellphones by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, suddenly became instruments of destruction.
The precision and scope of the operation were staggering. At 3:25pm on Tuesday, two Hezbollah members were eating lunch at a shopping mall when their pager exploded. A few minutes later, another blast tore through a Hezbollah office. Within minutes, hundreds of pagers across Lebanon and parts of Syria detonated almost simultaneously.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos: men flying off motorcycles, shoppers collapsing in agony, smoke snaking from pockets.
"My son went crazy and started to scream when he saw the man's hand flying away from him," recounted Mohammed Awada, 52, who witnessed one of the explosions, the NYT report said. The attacks were not limited to public spaces; they penetrated deep into Hezbollah's infrastructure, with explosions reported in offices and even at a funeral for victims of the previous day's attacks.
A modern-day Trojan horse
At the heart of this operation lies a tale of deception worthy of a John le Carré novel. US intelligence sources told NYT that Israel had established a front company, BAC Consulting, ostensibly a Hungary-based firm contracted by a Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo, to produce pagers. In reality, it was an elaborate Israeli intelligence operation.
The pagers destined for Hezbollah contained a sinister addition: batteries laced with the explosive PETN. What Hezbollah thought was a defensive measure against Israeli surveillance became their Achilles' heel. The level of infiltration was so deep that even the company's website and LinkedIn profiles were meticulously crafted to avoid suspicion, the NYT report said.
This deception extended beyond pagers. The following day, walkie-talkies and other electronic devices used by Hezbollah began exploding, indicating a multi-layered approach to the operation.
Though Israeli officials, as is tradition, neither confirm nor deny their involvement, it is almost certain that Mossad had a hand in it. Defense minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday night declared the start of a “new phase” of the war as Israel turns its focus toward Hezbollah. "The center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces,” he said. In an apparent warning to Hezbollah, one of Israel's generals said: “We have many capabilities that we haven’t yet activated.”
Strategic calculations
This is not the first time Mossad has executed a covert strike of this nature. The agency has built a reputation for surgical precision in its assassinations and sabotage missions, targeting everything from Iranian nuclear scientists to high-ranking Hezbollah leaders.
The question remains: why now?
"One of the drivers behind the pager attack, as with the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July, is that Mossad is determined to refurbish its brand," said a report in Foreign Policy. These back to back attack on Hezbollah will go a long way in restoring the "omnipotent and omnipresent" image of Mossad.
Another reason could be that Israel is now ready for a war with Hezbollah. In the weeks following October 7th, 2023, Hezbollah’s rocket fire into Israel had intensified, prompting calls for a stronger Israeli response. The northern border had become a focal point of tension. The explosion of these communication devices, therefore, seems calculated not just to cripple Hezbollah’s infrastructure, but to send a chilling message to Nasrallah and his militia: Israel can strike at any moment and in any form.
“Why didn't we do it for 11 months? Because we were not willing to go to war yet. What’s happening now? Israel is ready for war," a retired Israeli military official said.
The detonation of these devices likely delayed Hezbollah’s operational capabilities, forcing the group into months of recovery, repairing its communication network, and combing through its ranks for informants.
For now, the pager explosions serve as a tactical victory, if not a prelude to something larger. Yet, Israel’s challenge remains unresolved: how to contain the multi-front threats posed by Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran, while avoiding a broader regional war. For Hezbollah, the attacks underscore a deeper vulnerability—its reliance on imported technology from dubious sources—and the fact that even a decade-long guerrilla organization is not immune to Israeli ingenuity.
Implications beyond Lebanon
The immediate aftermath of the attacks is one of paranoia. The blasts exposed thousands of Hezbollah operatives, revealing their secret affiliations to family members and neighbors. The loss of trust, both within Hezbollah and its civilian base, could spark tensions in Lebanon. The region’s reliance on imported electronics also sends ripples across other Iranian-aligned militias. What if more devices—phones, tablets, radios—are similarly compromised?
As Lebanon grapples with this latest tragedy, the region teeters on the brink of wider conflict. The pager attacks may be a prelude to a more extensive campaign against Hezbollah or simply another move in the ongoing chess game of Middle Eastern geopolitics. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's recent statement about returning northern residents safely to their homes suggests that further action may be imminent.
What's clear is that in the shadowy world of international espionage, the lines between peacetime and war, between civilian technology and deadly weapons, continue to blur. As one Lebanese woman, hands shaking as she called her children, warned: "Turn off your phones now!" In this new reality, even the most innocuous device can become an instrument of war.
(With inputs from agencies)
The twin attacks have left Hezbollah in shock, reeling from what is now understood to be one of the most intricate operations of Israel’s intelligence agency - Mossad .
The anatomy of the attacks: Pagers to walkie-talkies
As per a New York Times report, the operation began with a chorus of beeps echoing across Lebanon. Pagers, long considered a secure alternative to cellphones by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, suddenly became instruments of destruction.
The precision and scope of the operation were staggering. At 3:25pm on Tuesday, two Hezbollah members were eating lunch at a shopping mall when their pager exploded. A few minutes later, another blast tore through a Hezbollah office. Within minutes, hundreds of pagers across Lebanon and parts of Syria detonated almost simultaneously.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos: men flying off motorcycles, shoppers collapsing in agony, smoke snaking from pockets.
"My son went crazy and started to scream when he saw the man's hand flying away from him," recounted Mohammed Awada, 52, who witnessed one of the explosions, the NYT report said. The attacks were not limited to public spaces; they penetrated deep into Hezbollah's infrastructure, with explosions reported in offices and even at a funeral for victims of the previous day's attacks.
A modern-day Trojan horse
At the heart of this operation lies a tale of deception worthy of a John le Carré novel. US intelligence sources told NYT that Israel had established a front company, BAC Consulting, ostensibly a Hungary-based firm contracted by a Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo, to produce pagers. In reality, it was an elaborate Israeli intelligence operation.
The pagers destined for Hezbollah contained a sinister addition: batteries laced with the explosive PETN. What Hezbollah thought was a defensive measure against Israeli surveillance became their Achilles' heel. The level of infiltration was so deep that even the company's website and LinkedIn profiles were meticulously crafted to avoid suspicion, the NYT report said.
This deception extended beyond pagers. The following day, walkie-talkies and other electronic devices used by Hezbollah began exploding, indicating a multi-layered approach to the operation.
Though Israeli officials, as is tradition, neither confirm nor deny their involvement, it is almost certain that Mossad had a hand in it. Defense minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday night declared the start of a “new phase” of the war as Israel turns its focus toward Hezbollah. "The center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces,” he said. In an apparent warning to Hezbollah, one of Israel's generals said: “We have many capabilities that we haven’t yet activated.”
Strategic calculations
This is not the first time Mossad has executed a covert strike of this nature. The agency has built a reputation for surgical precision in its assassinations and sabotage missions, targeting everything from Iranian nuclear scientists to high-ranking Hezbollah leaders.
The question remains: why now?
"One of the drivers behind the pager attack, as with the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July, is that Mossad is determined to refurbish its brand," said a report in Foreign Policy. These back to back attack on Hezbollah will go a long way in restoring the "omnipotent and omnipresent" image of Mossad.
Another reason could be that Israel is now ready for a war with Hezbollah. In the weeks following October 7th, 2023, Hezbollah’s rocket fire into Israel had intensified, prompting calls for a stronger Israeli response. The northern border had become a focal point of tension. The explosion of these communication devices, therefore, seems calculated not just to cripple Hezbollah’s infrastructure, but to send a chilling message to Nasrallah and his militia: Israel can strike at any moment and in any form.
“Why didn't we do it for 11 months? Because we were not willing to go to war yet. What’s happening now? Israel is ready for war," a retired Israeli military official said.
The detonation of these devices likely delayed Hezbollah’s operational capabilities, forcing the group into months of recovery, repairing its communication network, and combing through its ranks for informants.
For now, the pager explosions serve as a tactical victory, if not a prelude to something larger. Yet, Israel’s challenge remains unresolved: how to contain the multi-front threats posed by Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran, while avoiding a broader regional war. For Hezbollah, the attacks underscore a deeper vulnerability—its reliance on imported technology from dubious sources—and the fact that even a decade-long guerrilla organization is not immune to Israeli ingenuity.
Implications beyond Lebanon
The immediate aftermath of the attacks is one of paranoia. The blasts exposed thousands of Hezbollah operatives, revealing their secret affiliations to family members and neighbors. The loss of trust, both within Hezbollah and its civilian base, could spark tensions in Lebanon. The region’s reliance on imported electronics also sends ripples across other Iranian-aligned militias. What if more devices—phones, tablets, radios—are similarly compromised?
As Lebanon grapples with this latest tragedy, the region teeters on the brink of wider conflict. The pager attacks may be a prelude to a more extensive campaign against Hezbollah or simply another move in the ongoing chess game of Middle Eastern geopolitics. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's recent statement about returning northern residents safely to their homes suggests that further action may be imminent.
What's clear is that in the shadowy world of international espionage, the lines between peacetime and war, between civilian technology and deadly weapons, continue to blur. As one Lebanese woman, hands shaking as she called her children, warned: "Turn off your phones now!" In this new reality, even the most innocuous device can become an instrument of war.
(With inputs from agencies)
