Mossad’s Two Deadly Messages to Hezbollah

• In two consecutive days, the Israelis detonated Hezbollah’s electronic devices, inflicting mass casualties

• The US and UN are not pleased with Israel’s attack

• The Israelis are using psychological warfare to injure and instill fear in their enemies

The story

On Tuesday, thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah operatives across Lebanon and Syria simultaneously overheated and exploded at around 3:30 pm local time. At least 12 were confirmed dead, including two children, and nearly 3,000 suspected Hezbollah members were injured.

After abandoning cell phones because of Israeli eavesdropping concerns, the Iran-backed terrorist group switched to pagers, which they believed were more secure. As Hezbollah changed their strategies — so too did Israel.

The group likely responsible for these attacks is Israel’s world-class intelligence agency, Mossad. Mossad works closely with America’s CIA and the UK’s MI6 to share intelligence and engage in counterterrorism operations to combat their mutual enemies.

On Wednesday, just one day after the pager explosions, Israel detonated Hezbollah walkie-talkies, resulting in at least 20 deaths and death and 450 injuries, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

This kind of widespread attack using hacked walkie-talkies and pagers marks a significant shift from traditional retaliation methods like using ground troops or firing rockets.

Mossad's turning to these innovative tactics demonstrates a strategic pivot in its efforts to counter Hezbollah's aggressive actions in northern Israel, indicating the conflict is entering a new stage.

The politics

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Wednesday that the war's focal point is shifting from Gaza to the northern border with Lebanon, prompting a transfer of more troops and resources to the area.

"We are opening a new phase in the war,” Gallant stated from an air force base. “It requires courage, determination, and perseverance from us."

He also informed reporters that the moment is fast approaching when Israeli forces will have to engage directly with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Such action is thought of as necessary to allow the return of tens of thousands of Israeli citizens who fled their homes under fire along the Lebanon border and have yet to return.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed significant frustration with Israel's attack, fearing it could delay or derail ongoing ceasefire efforts with Hamas.

The United Nations condemned the attack as an "extremely concerning escalation” that adds to the conflict’s volatility.

A new kind of warfare

Hezbollah reportedly purchased the walkie-talkies about five months ago, around the same time as the pagers. Mossad, which has a history of carrying out complex technological operations, allegedly planted explosives in the pagers months before they detonated on Tuesday, per a senior Lebanese security source.

Frontline workers in Lebanon described horrific scenes at hospitals, with victims suffering from severe injuries caused by the pager explosions.

This mass detonation of Hezbollah members' communications devices likely wasn’t about causing widespread fatalities. Instead, what the world witnessed was psychological warfare — a powerful message to Israel’s terrorist neighbors.

By inflicting thousands of casualties over two days using multiple different communication devices, Mossad is telling Hezbollah they can strike at any time and any place — so long as the state of Israel endures.

Why it matters

With tens of thousands of Hezbollah fighters and over 150,000 rockets aimed at Israeli cities, the Israeli Defense Forces is preparing for a showdown. The coordinated detonation of these walkie-talkie and pager bombs demonstrates Israel's impressive intelligence capabilities, penetrating deep into Iran’s network and its proxies.

With the conflict raging for nearly a year, the attacks of this week mark a new stage of Israel’s confrontation with Hezbollah.