Head of Mossad reveals new details on "Beeper Operation"

"It was planned by Mossad operatives with creativity, using sophistication and cunning," he noted. He mentioned that Prime Minister Netanyahu approved the operation, "contrary to popular belief." The full and dramatic speech (current affairs).

The head of the Mossad, David Barnea, spoke today (Tuesday) at a conference of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) - and for the first time publicly revealed new details about the dramatic beeper operations in the midst of the war, which significantly impacted the terrorist organization Hezbollah and marked Israel's superiority.

According to him, this operation "reflects superior intelligence penetration and a deep understanding of the adversary, technological superiority, and first-rate operational capabilities." He added that a "clear line" can be drawn from the moment the operation commenced until the elimination of Nasrallah.

"Hezbollah suffered a severe blow that broke the spirit of the organization. Victory in war is not measured by the number of casualties or the number of missiles, but by victory over the spirit, the morale, and the motivation of the enemy," he said.

"For additional years, we fought against Iran's arm on our northern border," continued the head of the Mossad. "The Mossad has been preparing for the Third Lebanon War since 2006, gathering intimate and unique intelligence over many years. We strengthened our collaborations with the IDF Intelligence in a wide range of operational and intelligence activities."

He continued: "We have empowered special capabilities in enemy territory, and mainly understood that the next war will be different from the previous wars we have known. The Mossad has no tanks, we have no fighter jets or missiles, we have the men and women of the Mossad who are the engine of its actions and successes. They are the creative mind that turns the impossible into the possible."

He continued: "The Beepers Operation is a young operation compared to the Communications Devices Operation, which was launched the next day. The Communications Devices Operation was developed about a decade ago, during Tamir Pardo's tenure as head of the Mossad, and continued during Yossi Cohen's tenure. The idea for the Beepers Operation first arose when we understood that the Communications Devices Operation was not effective in all war scenarios."

According to him, "Therefore, we thought of another way to target Hezbollah operatives. By detonating a device that is always attached to their bodies. Our creative people identified the opportunity." The head of the Mossad revealed that the initial operational infrastructure for the beeper operation was established in late 2022.

He also recounted that the first shipment to Lebanon, containing only 500 beepers, arrived in Lebanon just a few weeks before the terrible massacre of October 7. "At that time, thousands of older operational communication devices were mostly stored in Hezbollah's warehouses," Barnea said.

He claimed that "the activation of the two operations at the beginning of the war would not have achieved the powerful results on the battlefield that we reached at the time of their activation." According to him, at the time the operation was actually activated, ten times more beepers were destroyed than at the beginning, and two times more communication devices were disrupted.

"The dilemma in executing the operation on September 17, 2024, was significant, very significant," noted Barnea. "I won't go into details, but I will say that in the discussion where the operation was approved, two schools of thought were presented, both of which were correct at that time. The Prime Minister ultimately made the decision contrary to the prevailing stance in the discussion. And here we are now receiving the award. This is actually an award for the entire people of Israel, not just for the institution."

At the end of his speech, he concluded: "The amount of explosive material in all the thousands of communication devices and beepers combined did not exceed the amount of explosive material in a single standard landmine, but the shattering of morale was powerful."