Explosive pagers — how «Mossad» prepared a surprise attack «Hezbollah»

Explosive pagers and radios of “Hezbollah” were indeed created by “Mossad”. Agents share how the devices operated and how they pulled it off.

The channel 60 Minutes, under conditions of anonymity, voice, and appearance concealment, spoke with two leading “Mossad” agents who orchestrated the attack. The operation with pagers and radios started ten years ago. The explosive devices, undetectable, were hidden in the gadget batteries.

The insider confirmed that “Hezbollah” itself purchased the devices that struck many of its members. Specifically, the organization bought 16,000 explosive radios for its militants, and used them for 10 years. Clearly, no one suspected the Israeli origin of the devices. Foreign companies were created in the supply chain that had no links to Israel and positioned themselves as global manufacturers.

However, the radios had limitations in use, so in 2022, “Mossad” developed another device — pagers. They are almost forgotten worldwide, yet “Hezbollah” used them for communication. Israeli spies learned that their enemies were purchasing pagers from the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo.

To make a bomb out of the miniature device, the pagers had to be slightly enlarged. “Mossad” conducted multiple tests with mannequins. Specifically, the aim was to place a bomb that would harm the user, but not people nearby.

The devices had no tracking properties — just a bomb. They also lacked any smart functions. They could only receive messages and contained a few grams of explosives.

“Mossad” conducted tests to choose a sound that would make the owner pull out the pager. It took approximately 7 seconds for a user to retrieve the device to respond.

An agent recalls showing the pager to his boss, who was furious — no one would buy such a bulky device. It was inconvenient to carry in a pocket and heavy. Within two weeks, a solution was found: the pager AR942 received additional useful features. It was durable, dust- and waterproof, had a long battery life. The pager was advertised online, in videos, and brochures, and became almost the best on the global market. The company received orders from regular potential clients — but they didn’t sell to them, masking it with a high price.

Several front companies of “Mossad”, including one Hungarian, worked in partnership with Gold Apollo to help create explosive pagers. Gold Apollo itself had no clue it was working with “Mossad”, just as “Hezbollah” didn’t. The spies made sure nothing in their experience gave away the device’s purpose or origin. “Mossad” hired a sales department woman who had previously worked with “Hezbollah”. She offered them the first batch of pagers as a free upgrade.

By September 2024, “Hezbollah” had 5000 such pagers — it remained to activate them, a decision made by David Barnea, director of “Mossad”. This happened on September 17 at 3:30 PM local time. The militants received a text: “You have an encrypted message. To decode it, press two buttons simultaneously”. If not done — the device still exploded, controlled from Israel.

The next day, the radios that “Hezbollah” had bought ten years ago were activated. The action resulted in about 30 people killed, including two children. Many more were injured — it took them out of action, requiring time and money for treatment. The action damaged “Hezbollah” activities, but primarily, it was meant to intimidate Israel’s enemies. A “Mossad” agent says that several people in the bunker of the movement leader Nasrallah also received the message — and exploded right before his eyes. The intelligence officer did not name the source of this information but stated it was “strong rumors”.