Lebanon is currently gripped with fear. In the last two days, a series of blasts has rocked Lebanon. First, pagers exploded one after another, followed by blasts in walkie-talkies and solar panel systems, leaving the population in shock. So far, these explosions have killed 32 people and injured around 4500. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for these attacks, claiming that the script for Operation Lebanon was written by Israel as early as 2022.
According to a report by the New York Times, there have been multiple blasts in pagers, walkie-talkies, and solar panels in Lebanon and parts of Syria in the last two days. The report suggests that Israel is behind these incidents, citing some former Israeli defense and intelligence officials who explained that Israel was always confident that Hezbollah preferred pagers over mobile phones. The theory gained further traction when it was discovered that the pagers and walkie-talkies involved in the blasts were manufactured by a single company in Hungary, supposedly for Hezbollah.
Former Israeli defense and intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Israel had indeed orchestrated this operation and had been preparing the script for it years earlier.
Nasrallah's Guidance Prompted Israel to Write the Script
Hezbollah Chief Nasrallah has long been encouraging his fighters to use pagers and walkie-talkies instead of cellphones or internet calling. He first publicly mentioned the use of pagers in 2022, prompting Israel to plan and execute Operation Lebanon.
Source: aajtak
In February this year, Nasrallah addressed Hezbollah fighters and supporters, stating that as Israel becomes more high-tech, Hezbollah would become low-key. He mentioned that Israel tracks the fighters' locations using cellphone networks. He urged to bury cellphones, saying that having a cellphone means having an Israeli agent in their hands, advising to lock them away in metal boxes.
Israel Established Shell Company in 2022
To execute Operation Lebanon, Israel set up two to three shell companies in Budapest, Hungary, in 2022. One of these was BAC Consulting KFT, which later formed a long-term partnership with Taiwan's Gold Apollo company, beginning production of wireless devices like pagers and walkie-talkies.
According to the report, this shell company, created as part of Israel's plan, was presented as an international pager manufacturer. The company produced pagers and walkie-talkies under the Gold Apollo brand from Taiwan.
Source: aajtak
Three Israeli intelligence officers, who provided information about the operation, stated that Israel set up two to three such shell companies as pager manufacturers. To maintain their credibility, BAC also took regular orders for ordinary pagers and delivered them, but their primary focus was on supplies for Hezbollah.
The report claims that the company prepared batteries equipped with explosive PETN, fitting them inside pagers. These pagers were first sent to Lebanon in May 2022. Although the initial shipment to Lebanon was small, the production was ramped up after Nasrallah publicly advocated for pagers amid increasing Israeli military attacks on Hezbollah fighters.
The report indicates that for Hezbollah, these pagers and walkie-talkies were considered security tools, but Israeli intelligence referred to these devices as BUTTONS, which they could press at the right time to carry out the operation – and this week, that moment arrived.
Hezbollah has accused Israel and its intelligence agency Mossad of the blasts, but Israel has neither confirmed nor denied any involvement in these incidents in Lebanon.
