How Did Israel Prevent the Exposure of the "Pager" Operation? New Details

Israeli Channel 12 revealed new details it claimed were previously unavailable for publication regarding the operation to detonate "pager" devices in September 2024, noting that Israel carried out covert operations to prevent the true nature of the devices from being discovered before their scheduled detonation.

According to the channel, these new details coincide with the upcoming US release of the film "Paging Hezbollah," directed by Justin Pollack, on October 30. The documentary covers the behind-the-scenes aspects of the operation, its planning stages, and the infiltration of Hezbollah's supply chain.

Channel 12 claimed that Israel discovered, in the first week of August 2024, that an individual within Hezbollah had begun to suspect the pagers and sought to inspect them, raising fears that the operation would be exposed before execution.

According to the Israeli narrative, it was decided to assassinate this individual; however, Israel deliberately concealed the fact that he was the primary target of the operation, presenting another person who was with him as the intended target in an attempt to maintain the secrecy of the "pager" operation.

The channel added that Israel acted again after learning of the arrival of a shipment from Iran containing inspection devices intended for checking the pagers. Consequently, Israel targeted the shipment and destroyed the inspection devices, while also concealing the real objective of the strike.

The channel quoted former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as saying that Israel learned in early August about suspicions regarding the devices, adding: "Go to the list of those who were assassinated, because we killed him alongside another person, under various pretexts." He continued that after discovering the arrival of devices dedicated to inspecting the pagers, Israel destroyed them "along with other things."

The channel noted that Gallant had provided this information during an interview approximately a year and a half ago, but parts of it remained subject to Israeli military censorship until they were allowed to be published now.

The film includes interviews with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former head of the Mossad David Barnea, and Commander of the Northern District of the Israeli Army Uri Gordin.

According to Channel 12, the film shows how Israel infiltrated Hezbollah's communication network and supply chain, and the method through which the devices were designed, marketed, and introduced, leading up to their use by party members.

The film also presents the operation as the result of years of planning, deception, and intelligence work, rather than a single operation prepared over a short period, tracing the stages preceding the detonation of the devices and how Israel worked to prevent their discovery before the operation was executed.