WASHINGTON (AP) — Two recently retired senior Israeli intelligence agents shared new details about a deadly clandestine operation years in the making that
WASHINGTON — 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.
Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. The agents spoke with CBS “60 Minutes” in a segment aired Sunday night. They wore masks and spoke with altered voices to hide their identities. One agent said the operation started 10 years ago using walkie-talkies laden with hidden explosives, which Hezbollah didn’t realize it was buying from Israel, its enemy. The walkie-talkies were not detonated until September, a day after booby-trapped pagers were set off.Phase two of the plan, using the booby-trapped pagers, kicked in in 2022 after Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency learned Hezbollah had been buying pagers from a Taiwan-based company, the second officer said. The pagers had to be made slightly larger to accommodate the explosives hidden inside. They were tested on dummies multiple times to find the right amount of explosive that would hurt only the Hezbollah fighter and not anyone else in close proximity. Mossad also tested numerous ring tones to find one that sounded urgent enough to make someone pull the pager out of their pocket. The second agent, who went by the name “Gabriel,” 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.Gabriel compared the ruse to a 1998 psychological film about a man who has no clue that he is living in a false world and his family and friends are actors paid to keep up the illusion. “When they are buying from us, they have zero clue that they are buying from the Mossad,” Gabriel said. “We make like ‘Truman Show,’ everything is controlled by us behind the scene. In their experience, everything is normal. Everything was 100% kosher including businessman, marketing, engineers, showroom, everything.”Israel triggered the attack on Sept. 17, when pagers all over Lebanon started beeping. The devices would explode even if the person failed to push the buttons to read an incoming encrypted message. The next day, Mossad activated the walkie-talkies, some of which exploded at funerals for some of the approximately 30 people who were killed in the pager attacks.“If he just dead, so he’s dead. But if he’s wounded, you have to take him to the hospital, take care of him. You need to invest money and efforts,” he said. “And those people without hands and eyes are living proof, walking in Lebanon, of ‘don’t mess with us.’ They are walking proof of our superiority all around the Middle East.” In the days after the attack, Israel’s air force hit targets across Lebanon, killing thousands. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was assassinated when Israel dropped bombs on his bunker. By November, the war between Israel and Hezbollah, a byproduct of the deadly attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, ended with a ceasefire. More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants, health officials have said. The agent using the name “Michael” said that the day after the pager explosions, people in Lebanon were afraid to turn on their air conditioners out of fear that they would explode, too.Asked if that was intentional, he said, “We want them to feel vulnerable, which they are. We can’t use the pagers again because we already did that. We’ve already moved on to the next thing. And they’ll have to keep on trying to guess what the next thing is.” Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen was injured Sunday after being bucked off a horse and is expected to be hospitalized for several days. Pillen, a first-term Republican, was with his family when he was thrown off a new horse and injured, according to the governor’s office. He was taken to a hospital PHOENIX — President-elect Donald Trump came to Arizona on Sunday for his first rally speech since winning the November election. He was greeted by thousands of adoring supporters who confirmed his popularity across the conservative base. Trump attempted in his 75-minutes on stage to go beyond his core supporters. But he also employed his WINTER PARK, Colo. — Officials were investigating Sunday what caused a crack in a Colorado ski lift that forced the evacuation of over 170 stranded skiers and snowboarders. The gondola lift at Winter Park Resort, about 70 miles west of Denver, automatically stopped when it detected the crack in a structural piece PHOENIX — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Republican president-elect used his first major rally since winning the White House on Nov. 5 to bask in his return to power NEW YORK — New York City Police on Sunday were seeking a man they believe is connected to the early morning death of a woman who was sleeping on a stationary subway train before she was intentionally lit on fire. Police said an unknown male had approached the woman, set her on fire and Fighting hunger together: Safeway’s, Albertsons’ Nourishing Neighbors program tackles food insecurityCanadian Prime Minister Trudeau said that if President-elect Trump follows through on tariffs, he would be raising prices for Americans.‘Preventing the preventable:’ Most effective ways to protect your home from water damage Water damage stands as one of the most common and costly claims that homeowners face, accounting for nearly a quarter of all homeowners insurance claims.The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust is hosting a tree-planting fundraiser, helping create a sustainable future for local communities, wildlife and the planet.
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