Hezbollah hit hard as Israel activates ‘red button’ device explosions

Device explosions in Lebanon It was part of Israel’s “red button” plan, designed to be activated at a critical moment for maximum impact against an enemy, current and former Israeli officials with knowledge of the pager operation said last week. Washington Post.

Twin bomb attacks across Lebanon last week have killed scores of Hezbollah militants across the country.

The report said the plot was essentially part of Israel’s long-term strategy to develop its “red button capability” to be prepared for critical moments.

“The red button is a concept for something you can use when you want it or need it,” a former Israeli official with knowledge of the pager’s operation explained in the report.

However, the logic behind the timing of the device attack is not yet fully understood.

Mourners gather at the funeral of Hezbollah members Fadel Abbas Bazzi and Ahmed Ali Hasan after walkie-talkies and pagers used by the armed group Hezbollah exploded in Ghobeiry, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on September 19, 2024. (source: REUTERS/EMILIE MADI)

The official said the device detonation attack was “not part of the comprehensive plan” envisioned when the operation was first launched, but noted that it had a significant impact in thwarting the Lebanese terrorist group.

A former Israeli intelligence official described the operation as top-secret and “part of a multi-year investment to penetrate Israel’s internal affairs.” Hezbollah’s “communications, logistics and supply structures.”

“Long before the pagers were loaded with explosives, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, and other services had developed a detailed understanding of what Hezbollah needed, what its vulnerabilities were, what front companies it worked with, where they were located, and who it was in contact with,” the second Israeli official said.

The official also said that once the network around Hezbollah is mapped, Israel should create a network of companies that sell to each other, so that Israel can get closer to Hezbollah and go after agents who “rely on their own companies while hiding any connection to Israel.”

US officials are trying to put the pieces together

Additionally, several U.S. and Western security officials said, Post it He said the details of the operation were still being investigated.

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A former US intelligence official who was critical of Israel’s operation said Israel’s decision to equip the devices with explosives rather than advanced espionage equipment reflected a “cult of the offensive mentality”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “The government is prioritizing kinetic displays of force that will not achieve Israel’s broader objectives in the escalating regional conflict.”

On the other hand, Eyal Pinko, a former Israeli naval commander and intelligence officer, Post it He said the device-detonation attack was a “heavy blow to Hezbollah’s command and control structure.”

“This will throw Hezbollah off balance. It will take quite a long time to push back (Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s) forces,” Pinko reportedly said.

Ralph Goff, a former senior CIA official who served in the Middle East, said in his report that the United States was not aware of Israel’s bombing plan because if they had known, officials “would have gone crazy and done everything they could to prevent it.”