Ex-Mossad Agents Reveal Exploding Hezbollah Pager Operation That ‘Broke’ Nasrallah. Why Has Israel Revealed This Now—A Strategic Move In Relation To Syria?

How Mossad Did It – In September 2024, Israel pulled off a bold operation against Hezbollah by embedding explosives in pagers and walkie-talkies that the group was using. The blasts killed over two dozen people and injured many more. The next day, hundreds of walkie-talkies exploded, causing even more casualties.

This was all part of a covert operation masterminded by Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, aimed at disrupting Hezbollah’s activities and sending a chilling message to its members.

The Inside Story

Two recently retired senior Israeli intelligence agents recently revealed more about this deadly operation, which had been in the works for years. The agents shared how the attack had a major psychological impact on Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who witnessed the deadly explosions firsthand.

According to one agent, this moment was “the tipping point of the war.”

In an interview the agents, who wore masks and spoke with altered voices to protect their identities, gave more insight into the mission. They explained that the operation was part of Israel’s broader counteroffensive against Hezbollah, which had been launching attacks on Israel following the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault.

The agents revealed that the operation had been in development for a decade, starting with walkie-talkies loaded with hidden explosives. These devices were secretly supplied to Hezbollah, which had no idea they were buying them from Israel.

One agent, going by the name “Michael,” explained that they created a fake world to get Hezbollah to buy the devices.

Phase two of the operation kicked off in 2022 when Mossad discovered Hezbollah was buying pagers from a Taiwanese company.
To make the pagers large enough to hide explosives, they had to be modified and tested multiple times to ensure the explosion would only harm the intended target. Mossad also carefully chose a ringtone that would sound urgent enough to make someone pull the pager out of their pocket.

Further, the agents used fake ads on YouTube to convince Hezbollah to switch to the larger, modified pagers, promoting them as waterproof, dustproof, and long-lasting.

They also set up shell companies, including one in Hungary, to deceive the Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo, into unknowingly working with Mossad. Throughout the operation, Hezbollah remained unaware that it was being duped by Israel.

They compared the whole operation to the 1998 psychological film The Truman Show, where a man has no idea he’s living in a fake world, with everyone around him—his family and friends—being actors paid to maintain the illusion.

“When they’re buying from us, they have zero clue they’re getting it from Mossad,” Gabriel said. “It’s like The Truman Show—everything is controlled behind the scenes by us. To them, everything seems normal. Everything is 100% kosher—businessmen, marketing, engineers, showrooms, everything.”

Michael added that Mossad had “an incredible array of possibilities” for creating foreign companies that had no traceable connection to Israel.

“We use shell companies on top of shell companies to manipulate the supply chain in our favor,” he said. “We create a pretend world. We’re a global production company. We write the screenplay, we’re the directors, we’re the producers, we’re the main actors, and the world is our stage.”

By September 17, Hezbollah operatives were carrying 5,000 modified pagers. When Mossad triggered the attack, the pagers began beeping. Users were instructed to press two buttons at once to receive an encrypted message, but this was a trap to ensure they were holding the device when it exploded. Even if they didn’t press the buttons, the device would still detonate.

The following day, Mossad activated the walkie-talkies, some of which exploded during funerals for those killed in the pager attacks.

Gabriel explained that the operation wasn’t just about killing Hezbollah fighters—it was about sending a powerful message. “If they’re dead, they’re dead. But if they’re wounded, you have to take them to the hospital, you have to spend money and effort,” he said. “And those people, without hands and eyes, are living proof—walking around Lebanon as reminders of ‘don’t mess with us.’ They are proof of our superiority in the Middle East.”

The psychological impact on Hezbollah’s leader, Nasrallah, was also key. He claimed that Nasrallah saw people next to him in his bunker collapse after the pagers exploded.

Two days after the attacks, Nasrallah gave a speech. “If you looked at his eyes, he was defeated,” Gabriel said. “He already lost the war. His soldiers saw it too—they saw their broken leader.”

In the days following the attacks, Israel’s air force launched airstrikes across Lebanon, killing thousands. Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, was eventually assassinated when Israel bombed his bunker. By November, the war between Israel and Hezbollah, which had escalated after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack in southern Israel, ended with a ceasefire.

Why Release These Details Now – Syria?

The timing of Israel revealing this information likely serves as a form of psychological warfare.
Israel may be aiming to further unsettle Hezbollah and its supporters, amplifying the sense of vulnerability and fear within their ranks by sharing these details now.

On the other hand, the details shared now could very well be a strategic move in relation to Syria.

Here’s why –

Following the collapse of the Assad regime, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist rebel group, has taken control of major cities like Damascus and Aleppo. HTS has announced the formation of a transitional government, with Mohammed al-Bashir appointed as the interim prime minister.

In this context, the recent revelation by former Mossad agents about the operation targeting Hezbollah operatives using exploding pagers and walkie-talkies could be interpreted as a strategic move by Israel. By disclosing this information now, Israel may aim to send a message to the new Syrian leadership and its allies, including Iran and Hezbollah, signaling its continued capability and willingness to disrupt their operations.

This disclosure could serve as a form of psychological warfare, demonstrating Israel’s intelligence prowess and potentially deterring future hostile actions. The timing of this revelation suggests that Israel is keen on asserting its presence and influence in the region, especially amidst the power vacuum and shifting alliances following the fall of the Assad regime.

Israel may be attempting to establish a deterrent effect by illustrating its successful operations against Hezbollah, ensuring that the new Syrian leadership and its allies are aware of Israel’s capabilities and resolve.

The Last Bit

The release of this information appears to be a calculated move by Israel to maintain its strategic advantage and send a clear message to the new Syrian government and its allies, reinforcing its position in the evolving Middle Eastern geopolitical arena.