Pager Attack Planning: Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon exploded on September 17 and 18, killing more than 30 people and injuring thousands. New data shows the attacks were part of a years-long operation by Israel. For nearly a decade, Israel prepared the devices to explode.

According to the Washington Post report, the first phase of the plan was launched in 2015 by the Israeli spy agency Mossad, with the devices being secretly introduced into Lebanon. For nine years, the Israelis had contented themselves with spying on Hezbollah while reserving the option of turning the walkie-talkies into bombs in a future crisis, the Post reported, citing officials. But then came a new opportunity and a shiny new product.

Plan of the Pager Explosion Operation

The report further states that the planning of the pager explosion operation was revealed in 2022, more than a year before Hamas's October 7 attack. Initial sales pitches of Apollo AR924 pagers were also sent to Hezbollah two years ago. The slightly bulky pager and the large battery that could offer longer operation time were convenient for Israeli experts to place the explosives. The most frightening feature of the pager was the two-step de-encryption process that required the user's hands.

Mossad, having discovered that one of the group's major concerns was a surveillance-free communication method that Israel could not track. Mossad, which had spent years trying to penetrate Hezbollah through electronic surveillance and human informants, discovered this and presented Apollo pagers to the terrorist group as a zero-risk tool for surveillance.