Former spies describe exploding devices attack against Hezbollah

Two recently retired senior Israeli intelligence agents shared new details about a deadly clandestine operation years in the making that targeted Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and Syria using exploding pagers and walkie talkies three months ago The agents spoke with CBS lsquo60 Minutesrsquo in a segment aired on Sunday night They wore masks and spoke with altered voices to hide their identities10 years in the makingOne agent said the operation started 10 years ago using walkietalkies laden with hidden explosives which Hezbollah didnrsquot realise it was buying from Israel its enemy The walkietalkies were not detonated until September a day after boobytrapped pagers were set off ldquoWe created a pretend worldrdquo said the officer The plan using the boobytrapped pagers began in 2022 after Israelrsquos Mossad learned Hezbollah had been buying pagers from a Taiwanbased company the second officer saidGetting it rightThe pagers were slightly larger to accommodate the explosives They were tested on dummies to find the right amount of explosive that would hurt only the Hezbollah fighter and not anyone else in close proximity Mossad also tested ring tones to find one that sounded urgent enough to make someone pull the pager out of their pocketThe second agent said it took two weeks to convince Hezbollah to switch to the heftier pager in part by using false ads on YouTube promoting the devices as dustproof waterproof providing a long battery life and more He described the use of shell companies including one based in Hungary to dupe the Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo into unknowingly partnering with the Mossad By September Hezbollah militants had 5000 pagers in their pocketsThe attack and aftermathIsrael triggered the attack on September 17 when pagers across Lebanon started exploding The next day Mossad activated the walkietalkies some of which exploded at funerals for those killed in the pager attacks After the explosions people in Lebanon were afraid to even turn on their air conditionersRemains of 1974 crash helo foundIsraeli soldiers during a routine operation in Syria found the rotor head of an Air Force helicopter that crashed in Syria during the Yom Kippur War the Israel Defense Forces said The lsquoHatsararsquo helicopter crashed on April 27 1974 during a mission to rescue injured paratroopers The six crew members were killed in the accidentAir strikes on Gaza kill at least 20Palestinian medics say Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 20 people One of the strikes hit a tent camp in the Muwasi area killing eight people Another six were killed in a strike on people securing an aid convoy and another two were killed in a strike on a car Four more people were killed in separate strikesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever