Israel has revealed new details about the operation that detonated pager devices used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon and Syria in September 2024, coinciding with the second anniversary of the attack.
The operation, which took place days before the assassination of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, involved a complex intelligence effort that included the production of communication devices, the incorporation of explosive charges, and efforts to conceal the modifications from detection.
The newly disclosed details also shed light on the impact of the operation on Hezbollah’s leadership, particularly Nasrallah.
Half an Hour of Explosions
On September 17, 2024, pagers used by Hezbollah members began simultaneously displaying alerts after receiving a pre-programmed message. The devices then exploded one after another across different areas of Lebanon and Syria.
The explosions continued for around half an hour, killing and injuring thousands of people, including Hezbollah members and individuals affiliated with the group, in one of the most complex security operations ever carried out against the organization.
Security camera footage from shops and streets captured moments when several people collapsed after the devices exploded. Hezbollah members subsequently rushed to dispose of their pagers amid fears that additional devices could detonate.
The following day, another wave of explosions targeted handheld radios used by Hezbollah members, further increasing confusion within the group.
A Secret Production Line Within the Mossad
According to the newly disclosed Israeli account, the idea of using small communication devices to conceal explosive charges was developed years before the operation was carried out. The project was later revived and further developed within the Mossad.
Following the escalation that began after the October 7, 2023 attacks, work on the project was accelerated, particularly as Hezbollah increasingly relied on pagers to reduce its use of mobile phones, which could be vulnerable to surveillance.
The Israeli account says the pagers were assembled and modified manually under strict security measures designed to prevent the alterations from being detected.
A dedicated production line was reportedly established inside a Mossad facility, where the devices were assembled before being prepared and delivered to Hezbollah through complex channels.
Developing an Explosive Charge That Was Difficult to Detect
According to the Israeli disclosures, a technical team worked to develop a small explosive charge that could be incorporated into a pager and remotely activated while being designed to make detection during inspections difficult.
The project was initially considered highly challenging because of the need to combine a compact size with sufficient explosive power, while concealing the device inside the pager without raising suspicion.
Around 2022, one of the technicians involved in the project reportedly informed then-Mossad chief David Barnea that a practical method for carrying out the concept had been developed. Testing and the necessary approvals followed.
The Impact on Hassan Nasrallah
The Israeli account says Nasrallah did not personally carry a pager inside his hideout. However, several of his aides and close guards reportedly used the devices and were near him when the explosions occurred.
According to the account, the scene came as a major shock to Hezbollah’s leadership, as Nasrallah witnessed people close to him being injured.
Israeli intelligence sources have linked the incident to a decline in Nasrallah’s confidence in Hezbollah’s ability to detect Israeli security penetrations, describing the operation as a turning point in how he viewed the Israeli threat.
Reports citing members of Nasrallah’s family also said he went through a difficult period following the series of security developments that struck Hezbollah at the time, including the pager explosions and the assassination of senior commander Fuad Shukr.
A Prelude to Nasrallah’s Assassination
The pager operation was part of a broader series of Israeli security and military operations targeting Hezbollah during the summer and fall of 2024. The escalation culminated in the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on September 27 of that year.
In a speech delivered days before his assassination, Nasrallah described the explosions targeting pagers and handheld radios as an unprecedented security blow, calling them a declaration of war and acknowledging the scale of the damage inflicted on Hezbollah’s command-and-control system.
The newly disclosed details, according to the Israeli account, indicate that the pager operation was not simply a limited cyber or security attack. Rather, it formed part of a broader intelligence operation aimed at disrupting Hezbollah’s communications infrastructure and destabilizing its leadership before the conflict entered a more escalated phase.
