Hassan Nasrallah, the long-standing leader of Hezbollah, had been under the impression that he was secure from assassination by the IDF until his life was abruptly ended by an IAF airstrike in Beirut in September. This is according to a report published by the New York Times on Sunday, detailing Israel’s infiltration of Hezbollah’s intelligence network.
Despite concerns from his aides and suggestions that he relocate from his underground bunker, where he was ultimately killed on September 27, Nasrallah remained confident that Israel was not looking for a large-scale conflict with Hezbollah. This belief persisted even after Israel had destroyed thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by the organization’s operatives just weeks before.
The investigation uncovered fresh information on how deeply Israel’s intelligence services had penetrated Hezbollah. Officials from both the U.S. and Europe confirmed to the Times that Israel had successfully recruited agents who planted listening devices in Hezbollah’s bunkers, which enabled Israeli operatives to monitor leadership meetings and track key figures within the organization.
For two decades, Israel diligently collected intelligence on Hezbollah, preparing for what was seen as an inevitable confrontation. Their efforts paid off in 2024 when Unit 8200 intercepted critical documents revealing information about Hezbollah’s missile stockpile and the locations of many of its top leaders.
These efforts eventually led to a clever ruse by Israel, which duped Hezbollah into purchasing pagers and walkie-talkies rigged with explosives. A Hezbollah operative reportedly grew suspicious of the devices in late 2023. The Times report reveals that Israeli intelligence officials advised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to trigger the explosions in September 2024, fearing Hezbollah would soon discover the bombs hidden inside.
On September 17, the pagers were detonated, killing dozens of Hezbollah operatives and injuring thousands more. The next day, the walkie-talkies were also set off, causing further damage to the organization. The explosions severely disrupted Hezbollah’s communications network, leaving the group in disarray. This set the stage for Israel’s Operation Northern Arrows, which decimated Hezbollah’s rocket and missile stockpiles, crippled its elite Radwan Force, and wiped out much of its leadership, including Nasrallah.
The bombing of the pagers and the subsequent military actions in southern Lebanon were part of a larger response to Hezbollah’s repeated rocket and drone assaults on northern Israel, which had been ongoing for almost a year. These attacks began the day after the October 7 massacre carried out by Hamas. The Hezbollah strikes led to numerous casualties, including the deaths of 12 Druze children in a rocket attack on Majdal Shams in July, and caused tens of thousands of Israelis to flee their homes for over a year due to the continuous threat of Hezbollah fire.
{Matzav.com}
