Израел

Headline: Israel‘s Decade-Long Operation Unveiled: Sabotaging Hezbollah‘s Leadership with Exploding Walkie-Talkies and Pagers

In a revelation that has sent shockwaves through the Middle East, two former Mossad agents have disclosed a covert operation that Israel executed over the past decade, aimed at decimating Hezbollah’s leadership. The operation, detailed in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, involved infiltrating and manipulating Hezbollah operatives through exploding walkie-talkies and pagers, causing dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries.

The agents, masked and using altered voices to conceal their identities, revealed that the operation began over a decade ago when they introduced modified devices into Hezbollah’s ranks. They procured 16,000 walkie-talkies at a "bargain" price, high enough not to arouse suspicion, by creating a web of seemingly independent international companies.

Describing the operation, one agent, identified as Michael, likened it to "creating a fake world," drawing parallels with the film "The Truman Show," where an unsuspecting man lives in a falsified reality, unwittingly surrounded by actors, with his life broadcast on television.

The walkie-talkies, however, were not Hezbollah’s daily communication tools, so Mossad developed another lethal device: the exploding pager. The second agent, identified only as Gabriel, disclosed that they learned Hezbollah had acquired its pagers from a Taiwanese company. These pagers were then rigged to carry explosives and were rigorously tested on dummies to calculate the optimal amount of explosives needed to maim the target without harming bystanders. The devices were triggered by distinctive, attention-grabbing tones, selected after extensive testing.

Hezbollah’s transition to the heavier pagers was facilitated in part by fake YouTube advertisements lauding the devices’ durability and energy efficiency, claiming they were the "best in the world" within their category.

The Mossad agents also disclosed their use of fake companies, including one based in Hungary, to deceive the Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo into an unwitting partnership. Hezbollah remained oblivious to their Israeli collaborators throughout the operation.

By the fall of this year, approximately 5000 Hezbollah fighters were carrying the rigged pagers. The operation reached its crescendo on September 17 when Israel triggered the pagers across Lebanon. The following day, they activated the explosive walkie-talkies, with some detonating during the funerals of those killed in the pager attacks.

While the initial aim was to send a strong message to Hezbollah, the operation’s ultimate objective was to create "living evidence" of Israel’s superior might in the region. Following the attack, Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah delivered a subdued speech, with one agent describing him as a "broken leader" in the eyes of his followers. In the following days, Israel’s airstrikes targeted Lebanese locations, resulting in thousands of deaths, including Nasrallah. By November, the war between Israel and Hezbollah, a spillover from the deadly Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, had concluded with a ceasefire.

Michael revealed that the explosions had instilled a profound sense of fear in the Lebanese population, with many afraid to turn on their air conditioners, lest they too explode.-query>"

Title: Israel Courts Syrian Druze: A Bridge to Stability or Division?

In a move that underscores Israel’s evolving approach to its Syrian neighbors, the Jewish state is reaching out to the Syrian Druze community, both within its borders and across the ceasefire line. This effort, coinciding with the turmoil in Syria following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, aims to present Israel as a friendly force and a potential ally, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The Israeli outreach, coupled with a series of secretive aid operations during the Syrian civil war, reflects a strategy to cultivate the Druze minority as a buffer zone against potential threats from across the border. The Druze, a distinct religious community with close ties on both sides of the Israeli-Syrian border, have been the focus of Israel’s attention, with around 150,000 living in Israel and an estimated 200,000 in southern Syria.

However, not all Druze share the same sentiment. While some, like Nirvana Yousef, a 20-year-old Israeli Druze, see Israel as their only home and a land of higher living standards, others remain committed to their Syrian identity. This internal divide is further complicated by the actions of extremist groups and the ever-shifting dynamics of the Syrian conflict.

Israel’s overtures to the Syrian Druze have not been without controversy. In December, a video surfaced showing Druze in the Syrian village of Hader calling for its annexation by Israel. This sparked a backlash from Hader’s leaders and other Druze communities, who reaffirmed their desire to remain part of a united, democratic Syria.

As Israel extends a cautious hand to the Syrian Druze, it faces challenges in navigating the complex landscape of Syrian politics and the delicate balance of regional powers. The future of Israel’s relationship with the Druze minority, both at home and abroad, hangs in the balance, a testament to the intricate dance of diplomacy and identity in the volatile Middle East.