Mossad chief says Hezbollah pager operation was ‘turning point’ in war against the terror group

Speaking at the INSS International Conference in Tel Aviv, Mossad chief David Barnea praises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for ordering September’s exploding beeper and walkie-talkie operations against Hezbollah, and pushes back on claims made by former defense minister Yoav Gallant about the ideal timing of the attack.

Contradicting what Gallant – who pushed for a major operation in Lebanon days after October 7, 2023 – has said in recent weeks, Barnea argues that the operation wouldn’t have had the same effect if it was used earlier in the war.

There were “ten times as many beepers” in Hezbollah hands when they were detonated on September 17 than at the beginning of the war, he says, “and two times as many walkie-talkies were detonated.”

He also lauds Netanyahu, who decided to move ahead with the operation “in the face of the majority opinion in the room.”

Barnea goes into detail about the operation, which he calls a “turning point” in the fight in Lebanon. Preparation for the walkie-talkie operation began over a year ago, says Barnea. When Mossad staff understood that booby-trapped walkie-talkies wouldn’t be used in all situations, they began working on the pagers in late 2022.

Some 500 beepers arrived in Lebanon weeks before the October 7 attacks, says Barnea.

When they were detonated in September, most of the walkie-talkies were in storage in Hezbollah warehouses, he says.

The amount of explosives in all the beepers and walkie-talkies was less than that contained in a standard mine, says Barnea.