Two former Israeli intelligence agents have disclosed how members of the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah used Israeli made walkie-talkies booby-trapped with explosives for 10 years before they were detonated in a surprise attack in September this year.
The two ex-Mossad agents told CBS News how Hezbollah was duped into buying thousands of rigged walkie-talkies and pagers without realising they were made in Israel.
Dozens of people were killed and thousands injured in the attacks. Israel said it was tailored to target only Hezbollah members, but civilians were among the victims, Lebanese officials said.
The UN human rights chief called the attack a war crime.
At the time of the attack, Israel and Hezbollah were fighting a conflict which had spiralled since Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions a day after Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
On 17 September this year, thousands of pagers simultaneously exploded across Lebanon, mainly in areas with a strong Hezbollah presence. The blasts wounded or killed users and some people nearby, spreading panic and confusion.
The following day walkie-talkies exploded in the same way, killing and injuring hundreds more.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel was responsible two months later, Israeli media reported at the time.
In an interview with CBS, the BBC’s US media partner, the two former agents divulged details of the operation.
One of the agents, given the name Michael, said Mossad had concealed an explosive device inside the batteries operating the walkie-talkies, which he said would typically be carried in a vest nearer the wearer’s heart. [BBC]
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