In an operation unprecedented in world history, with an electronic Trojan Horse, Israel’s secret services simultaneously took out thousands of Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, bringing the Middle East even closer to general conflagration.
The large-scale attack, with small amounts of explosives detonated in electronic communication devices on thousands of human targets, also caused severe “collateral casualties” of civilians and spread terror in Lebanon as it was seen as a prelude to an Israeli invasion.
The commander of the elite force Radwan was added to Hezbollah’s losses on Friday, Ibrahim Akiland other senior officials killed by Israeli shelling in the group’s stronghold in South Beirut. Akil was wanted by the US for the deadly bombings of its embassy and a US Marine base in Beirut in 1983, as well as for the kidnapping of foreign nationals.
Israel celebrated the killing of Akil, but refrained from officially claiming responsibility for the mass electronic strike, although it is widely understood that the planning and execution of this operation bore its stamp. The Israeli Defense Minister Joab Gallant he spoke of a “new phase of successive operations” until the threat to the people of northern Israel is eliminated.
The buzzer trap
The attack on the Shiite group, which is Tehran’s long arm in the Eastern Mediterranean, was carried out in two phases: at noon on Tuesday with the explosion of thousands of sirens carried by Hezbollah military and civilian officials, and the following day with the explosion of hundreds of portable radios, resulting in the death of dozens and the injury of more than 3,000 people.
Wednesday’s blasts were more deadly as the radios contained more explosives. Devices exploded on belts, in pockets, in hands, in front of the eyes of owners who were examining them trying to figure out why they overheated in the first place.
Through shell companies, the Israelis were able to infiltrate Hezbollah’s supply chain and seize thousands of electronic devices distributed by the organization to its operatives in exchange for their cell phones for security purposes.
Last February the leader of Hezbollah Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah he asked the executives to “bury their cell phones as well as those of their children” because he is the “best spy of the Zionists” who monitor the conversations and know at all times where their enemies were.
With this speech by Nasrallah as a starting point, it is said that the Israeli secret services were activated and managed within a few months, through a network of companies they had set up years earlier, to send the trapped batches into the hands of the opponents.
Options and scenarios
But why did Israel choose to strike at this particular moment? Logically, such a surprise, critical strike would be accompanied by a larger bombing and invasion operation when the enemy was still in confusion, deprived of valuable front and infrastructure personnel. But no such step was taken in the early hours when Hezbollah was disorganized.
According to one version, Hezbollah suspected that something was wrong with the devices and sent some for testing by its patrons in Tehran, but the Israelis set off the explosives as the first samples were being transported to Iran in order not to lose their “trump card”. secret operation.
Another scenario interprets the attack as an attempt by the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu fending off American and European pressure and undermining any negotiations on Gaza by putting the whole region under fire.
Another theory links the attack to the confrontation between Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant, who is reportedly reacting to plans for a ground invasion of Lebanon. In any case, the Israeli intelligence services have partially recovered their damaged prestige since the Hamas offensive almost a year ago in Southern Israel that caught them asleep.
Nasrallah is preparing a “fair answer”.
Sheikh Nasrallah admitted that his forces had suffered a heavy blow and declared that there would be a “just response”. Bombing from both sides intensified, with Hezbollah claiming to have hit a base in northern Israel. If the group launches large-scale rocket attacks against Haifa or Tel Aviv, analysts see it as certain that Israel will invade southern Lebanon (from which it withdrew in 2000 after a long occupation).
In addition to the high risk of direct Iranian involvement, Hezbollah could also target hydrocarbon extraction facilities in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Adding to the ominous scenarios were White House officials’ statements to the “Wall Street Journal” that put a possible cease-fire in Gaza in the hands of the next US president, i.e. after January 2025.
How a buzzer works
Buzzers are one-way devices, similar to a radio, but pick up only one station. Today they are less common, but are still used by some hospitals and health systems due to their reliability, size and low cost. The buzzers also work without a cellular network, which is why Hezbollah has increased their use recently in order to avoid detection by the Israelis.
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