In resounding security confessions that raise the curtain behind the scenes of one of the most complex intelligence operations in the history of the conflict, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant revealed a series of secret strikes and assassinations carried out by Tel Aviv in anticipation of the bombing of “pager” devices in Lebanon. To block the way for any attempt by Hezbollah to detect the booby-trapping before zero hour.
Silent assassination: eliminating those suspected of using an electronic mine
According to the interview Gallant conducted with Yedioth Ahronoth (“Ynet”) newspaper, which was recently allowed to be published:
- Identify doubts early: Israeli intelligence felt that a Hezbollah member had begun to become suspicious of the imported pagers and suspected them of containing explosive charges.
- Instant filtering and security coverage: Israel rushed to identify him and assassinate him immediately, then targeted and destroyed advanced technical equipment that was intended to examine the devices after their arrival in Lebanon, while deliberately bombing other parallel targets to camouflage and hide the real reason behind those strikes.
- Examination race in Tehran: Gallant’s story intersected with previous statements by Benjamin Netanyahu in which he revealed that the party sent 3 devices to Iran to undergo careful laboratory examination, which prompted the occupation to target the operating expert and bomb the examination shipments.
Forced zero hour: a 10-year-old plan
Gallant confirmed that the intelligence plan had been under preparation and development for a full decade, but the party’s approach to uncovering the mystery of the devices forced the pressing of the detonation button to be accelerated:
- Preemptive detonation: As soon as some of the devices began to be subjected to direct examination, the Israeli leadership decided to blow them up immediately for fear of thwarting the plan and burning it completely.
- Injury bill: Gallant explained that the simultaneous bombing aimed to neutralize the combat force, wounding more than 2,000 members, with their injuries concentrated in the hands, eyes, and thighs.
The “Wireless” surprise: The major operation that was thwarted inside the warehouses
Gallant made a surprise revelation about the walkie-talkies that were detonated the next day:
- The biggest goal: Radios were originally the “primary blow” for the Israeli security services; Because they are larger and carry heavier and more destructive explosive devices.
- Failure of expected effect: Israeli calculations were partially disappointed in this wave. It turned out that the vast majority of these devices were still stored inside locked warehouses and were not distributed in the field by the elements at the time of the explosion, which reduced their destructive effects compared to the “pager.”
