Israel’s innovative use of pagers as explosive devices in September killed 37 and injured thousands, marking a significant covert operation against Hezbollah.
Israel’s secret operations history really took a big leap forward in September when they started using tiny pagers as weapons in a sneaky attack on Hezbollah fighters.
These little devices, about the size of credit cards, were loaded with explosives and used in surprise attacks in Lebanon and Syria on September 17.
Sadly, this move led to the deaths of 37 people and injured 2,931 others, as reported by the Lebanese government.
The attacks happened right after a bunch of Hezbollah fighters used walkie-talkies to talk to each other after their beepers got messed up.
After Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader who was killed in an Israeli attack right after talked about the attacks, he said it was the worst thing Hezbollah had ever seen.
Even though Israel usually doesn’t admit to being involved in these kinds of operations, people who know the details say they were the ones behind the pager attacks.
President Isaac Herzog was pretty clear when asked about it, saying they had nothing to do with it.
Orna Mizrahi from the Institute for National Security Studies pointed out how big and effective this operation was, saying the number of people hurt or killed was a big deal for Israel.
Israeli Army Bombed Beirut’s Suburbs and Ain al-Hilweh Camp Overnight – https://t.co/TFuAYyHbyh via @bey_today
— Nino Brodin (@Orgetorix) October 2, 2024
These attacks show how far Israel has come in its secret missions, trying to deal with what it sees as big threats.
Mizrahi talked about how these missions are all about going after the biggest bad guys, making sure they’re watched closely before hitting them.
The message here is that Israel tries really hard to keep civilians safe while doing its job, but that’s not always easy and has gotten a lot of criticism.
Israel has been doing this kind of targeted killing since it started, always finding new ways to do it.
From bombs to using random items as weapons, like books, phones, or even cars, they’ve always been creative.
The September attacks were a new twist, showing Israel’s ability to change and its never-ending fight to keep the country safe.
But these attacks have also made people question if it’s right to kill people this way, especially since Lebanon is still dealing with the aftermath.
As someone in charge of Israel’s intelligence once said, the whole point of these operations is to protect the country, even if it means taking big risks.
But with these operations going on for so long, Israel knows it has to be careful not to upset other countries too much.
The September attacks are a big part of the story of how Israel has been trying to keep up with the changing world of war and spying.
