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Program adds internal Mossad strategy regarding deploying the beepers.
By YONAH JEREMY BOB, JERUSALEM POST STAFF DECEMBER 23, 2024 20:27 Updated: DECEMBER 23, 2024 21:07
60 Minutes Lesley Stahl speaks with a former Mossad agent "Gabriel".
(photo credit: 60 Minutes, CBS NEWS screenshot)
A 60 Minutes broadcast on Sunday evening confirmed many of the details behind the beeper and walkie-talkie sabotage attack against Hezbollah: the operation began over a decade ago, with the Mossad initially weaponizing walkie-talkies sold to the Iranian-backed proxy terrorist group.
The beeper and walkie-talkie attack sent Hezbollah reeling and was credited for giving Israel an extra opening for a bombing campaign that brought the Lebanese terrorist group to its knees.
The Jerusalem Post exclusively reported on many of the details revealed in 60 Minutes on December 2. The original plan for the walkie-talkies could have led to not merely wounding over 3,000 Hezbollah operatives, but killing over 15,000, as reported by the Post, or 16,000, per 60 Minutes.
Several top Israeli sources believe that if the walkie-talkie program had been used in October 2023, it could actually have killed around 15,000 Hezbollah terrorists, dwarfing even the impressive results that came after a year of fighting.
In this reading of history, Hezbollah could have been defeated in October 2023, avoiding the need for 14 months of war with the terrorist group, along with the need to evacuate 80,000 northern Israeli residents for months on end.
Other top sources, including from the Mossad, told the Post that the cards were not lined up in October 2023 for this operation and that the walkie-talkie sabotage would not have had maximal results at the time – making the beepers a better bet in September 2024.
60 Minutes interviewed two Mossad agents said to be involved in the two sabotage projects. One of them, dubbed “Michael,” told 60 Minutes, “A walkie-talkie was a weapon just like a bullet or a missile… Inside the battery, there is an explosive device… made in Israel.” “Michael” is a former Mossad case officer whose identity was concealed during the interview.
The agents confirmed to 60 Minutes prior reports published by The New York Times and the Post about how Mossad developed shell companies to sell these devices covertly. “We create a pretend world,” said Michael.
“We are the directors, producers, and main actors; the world is our stage.” He explained this fake world as similar to The Truman Show, the hit 1998 movie starring Jim Carrey, which tells the story of a man living from birth in a huge television studio, filled with live cameras broadcasting to the world.
From walkie-talkies to pagers
By 2022, Mossad shifted its focus to pagers from walkie-talkies, which Hezbollah used for communication. “Hezbollah still uses pagers because they’re simple and difficult to hack,” explained “Gabriel” to 60 Minutes, another former Mossad agent.
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Gabriel’s team modified commercially available pagers, embedding explosives while retaining their functionality. The 60 Minutes interview provided a detailed account of Mossad’s extensive tests to ensure the device only harmed its user and not bystanders.
It further revealed that to make the bulky pagers appealing, Mossad created a marketing campaign with fake YouTube ads promoting them as “robust, dustproof, and waterproof.”
Although the Post understands that top Mossad echelons were entirely in favor of the program, Gabriel told 60 Minutes that he initially received skepticism from his superiors: “Our director [David Barnea] told us, ‘There is no chance anyone will buy such a big device.’ It took two weeks to convince him.” Ultimately, the pagers were sold to Hezbollah through intermediaries, as the terrorist group remained unaware of their origins.
The moment of activation
At 3:30 p.m. on September 17, 2024, Mossad remotely activated the explosive pagers across Lebanon. According to 60 Minutes, those carrying the devices received an encrypted message instructing them to press two buttons, triggering the explosion. “If they didn’t push the buttons, it would still explode,” Gabriel explained.
The coordinated blasts caused mayhem, with hospitals overwhelmed by thousands of injured fighters. “People were afraid to turn on their air conditioners the next day because they thought they might explode,” said Michael, emphasizing the psychological toll.
One day later, Mossad activated the walkie-talkies that had been dormant for over a decade; some went off during funerals for those killed by the pagers. The two operations injured approximately 3,000 Hezbollah operatives, killed 30, and left the organization demoralized and in disarray.
The Mossad agents revealed to 60 Minutes that a few children were mistakenly killed, out of the thousands of explosives. “The aim wasn’t to kill,” Gabriel said. “It was to leave Hezbollah with thousands of wounded, proof of our superiority.” The Post understands that this latest statement is debated, given that the walkie-talkies had the ability to kill, but some sources did agree with Gabriel’s characterization.
This operation marked a turning point in the war. In a speech he delivered several days later, then-Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah appeared subdued. “His soldiers saw a broken leader,” Gabriel said. Ten days later, the IDF dropped around 85 bombs on Nasrallah’s bunker, killing him.
Wider regional implications
The fallout of this operation extended far beyond Lebanon. It weakened Iran’s influence in the region by crippling Hezbollah, its most potent proxy, and destabilized Syria, contributing to the collapse of the Assad regime. “Hezbollah is looking around and realizing they are isolated,” Michael said, noting that the operation had ramifications for Gaza as well.
While the operation bolstered Israel’s strategic position, it raised ethical concerns. “What about Israel’s moral reputation?” asked CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl. Gabriel responded, “There is a prioritization. First, you defend your people, then you worry about reputation.”
The operation underscored Mossad’s ability to wage psychological warfare. “We can’t use pagers again,” Gabriel noted, “but they’ll have to keep guessing what’s next.”
The 60 Minutes report highlighted the lasting impact of the operation: “These wounded fighters are walking proof of our superiority,” Gabriel said. For Israel, the operation restored its sense of security and sent a powerful message to its adversaries: “Don’t mess with us.”
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