In a revelation of decades-long intelligence work, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu detailed the sophisticated operation that incapacitated Hezbollah’s communication network using sabotaged devices. The plan, years in the making, targeted the terror group’s walkie-talkies and pagers with hidden explosives.
Netanyahu recounted how Mossad demonstrated the devices to him months before the Lebanon campaign, initially raising his skepticism. After testing one himself, he acknowledged their destructive capability. The devices were engineered to look ordinary, with explosives concealed inside batteries and other components, making detection virtually impossible.
Mossad quietly supplied tens of thousands of these modified walkie-talkies to Hezbollah through seemingly legitimate front companies over a period of ten years. By the time of activation, Hezbollah had unknowingly stockpiled more than 60,000 of the devices.
In 2022, Israel targeted Hezbollah’s reliance on outdated pagers. Through an infiltrated supply chain, the devices were modified to detonate only in the hands of intended operatives. By September 2024, roughly 5,000 fighters carried the compromised pagers.
On September 17, 2024, the devices were triggered remotely. Hezbollah operatives received encrypted messages prompting them to press buttons, which caused the devices to explode. The following day, the long-dormant walkie-talkies were activated, further disrupting the group’s operations.
The decade-long strategy showcased Israel’s ability to combine precision engineering, global intelligence networks, and patient planning to neutralize threats without engaging in direct combat. Netanyahu’s account, confirmed by public reporting including CBS’s 60 Minutes, highlights one of the most innovative sabotage operations in recent Middle Eastern history.
