Netanyahu confirms authorization of pager attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he authorized an operation that involved the use of pager bombs against members of Hezbollah in Lebanon. The attack, which until then had not been officially claimed, resulted in the deaths of 37 people, including individuals close to the areas of the explosions.

The confirmation came through Netanyahu’s spokesman, Omer Dostri, and was made during a meeting of the Council of Ministers. According to information released by UOL and the Times of Israel, the operation specifically aimed to eliminate Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, who was killed days after the attack.

The plan to use pagers as explosive devices was developed in 2022, in a period of relative calm on the borders between Israel and Lebanon. According to reports, the strategy included the participation of agents in several countries and had the support of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, which played a crucial role in infiltrating Hezbollah with the help of informants and electronic monitoring.

The revelation of Israeli authorship of this attack comes in a delicate context, as there was opposition within the Israeli government itself regarding the decision to carry out such an operation. The implications of this confirmation are significant, both for international relations in the region and for Israeli domestic politics.