Israeli Mossad chief reveals new details on massive pager operation against Hezbollah militants

Mossad Director David Barnea was recognized by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) on Tuesday, accepting an award on behalf of the Mossad for their September beeper operation against Hezbollah terrorists.

Barnea addressed the audience and responded in his acceptance speech to recent statements by former defense minister Yoav Gallant critcizing the timing of the attack, Caliber.Az reports citing Israeli media.

Challenging Gallant’s position—who had advocated to conduct a large-scale operation in Lebanon already shortly after October 7, 2023—Barnea asserted that executing the operation earlier in the war would not have had the same impact.

There were “ten times as many beepers” in Hezbollah’s possession when they were detonated on September 17, 2024 than at the outset of the war, he explained, adding that “two times as many walkie-talkies were detonated.”

Barnea also praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for authorizing the mission “in the face of the majority opinion in the room.”

Detailing the operation, which he described as a “turning point” in the conflict in Lebanon, Barnea said preparations for the walkie-talkie operation had begun over a year earlier. Realizing that booby-trapped walkie-talkies might not be used in all scenarios, Mossad operatives started developing the pager-based approach in late 2022.

According to Barnea, approximately 500 beepers reached Lebanon weeks before the October 7 attacks. When they were detonated in September 2024, most of the walkie-talkies remained stored in Hezbollah warehouses.

He emphasized that the total amount of explosives in the beepers and walkie-talkies was less than what is typically found in a single standard mine.

Speaking at the INSS Annual Conference about the “Pagers Operation,” in which thousands of Hezbollah operatives' pagers exploded, Barnea highlighted that “the operation reflects intelligence penetration and a deep understanding of the enemy, technological superiority, and top-level operational capabilities.”

By Nazrin Sadigova