Mossad director sheds light on Hezbollah ‘beeper operation’, says PM Netanyahu approved despite Gallant’s concerns

Mossad director David Barnea shed new light on the preparations, the decisions leading up to it, and the details surrounding the already legendary beeper operation, when Israel detonated thousands of beepers used by Hezbollah’s mid-level officers across Lebanon last September.

Barnea’s rare public speech came after he received an award at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference on Tuesday on behalf of the Mossad organization.

“The operation reflects intelligence penetration and a deep understanding of the enemy, technological superiority, and top-level operational capabilities,” Barnea said.

On Sept. 17, at 3:30 p.m., chaos broke out across Lebanon, as well as in some neighboring countries as thousands of beepers used by Hezbollah and other members of the Iranian axis, started exploding.

The next day, Mossad also detonated thousands of walkie-talkies. According to CBS, about 30 people died, including two children, and around 3,000 were injured in the operation.

“The Pagers Operation is relatively recent compared to the Walkie Talkies Operation, which was launched the following day,” Barnea explained, confirming previous reports.

“The walkie-talkies operation was developed about a decade ago during [former Mossad chief] Tamir Pardo’s tenure and continued under Yossi Cohen,” Barnea said.

An anonymous Mossad agent told CBS last December that Hezbollah bought over 16,000 of the exploding walkie-talkies over ten years ago.

“The idea for the Pagers Operation first emerged when we realized that the Walkie Talkies Operation was not effective in all combat scenarios,” Barnea continued. “Therefore, we thought of an alternative way to target Hezbollah terrorists – by detonating a device that is always attached to their bodies.”

The first shipment of only 500 beepers arrived in Lebanon only shortly before the Oct. 7 massacre, Barnea said. “At that time, thousands of walkie talkies from the older operation were mostly stored in Hezbollah warehouses. Activating both operations at the start of the war would not have achieved the powerful battlefield impact we reached at the time of its execution.”

Barnea’s comments are particularly significant in the context of an ongoing dispute between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who both claim the credit for approving the operation.

“During the discussion in which the operation was approved, two schools of thought were presented, both of which were valid at the time,” Barnea said, supporting Netanyahu’s version of events.

Netanyahu’s side claims he made the decision despite opposition from Gallant and the IDF’s brass.

Associates of Gallant have claimed that he, as well as Barnea, had advocated to activate the beepers the week after Oct. 7, as part of a surprise preventative attack on Hezbollah.

However, Barnea explained: “During the operation, ten times more beepers were destroyed than Hezbollah had at the start of the war, and twice as many walkie-talkies were destroyed. The dilemma of whether to carry out the operation on September 17, 2024, was significant.”

“In the end, the prime minister made the decision in complete opposition to the prevailing opinion in the discussion,” Barnea said.

“Hezbollah suffered a very severe blow that broke the organization's morale. Victory in the war is not measured by the number of deaths or missiles but by victory over the morale and motivation of the enemy,” Israel’s top spy said.

“The beeper operation is a clear example of the realization of our mission. It was planned by Mossad employees creatively, using sophistication and cunning.”

The Mossad director concluded, “The operation symbolizes the turning point in the war in the north and the starting point for the ten days during which the tide turned against our enemies. A clear line can be drawn in the war in the north – from the beepers to the elimination of Nasrallah to the ceasefire.”

Despite supporting Netanyahu’s version of events regarding the beeper operation, Barnea has reportedly often clashed with the premier over the approach to the hostage issue.

He closed his speech by stressing that despite the successes, the war’s mission wasn’t yet complete: “We have a commitment to bring back all the hostages – both the living and the fallen. This is the highest moral imperative: to rescue them from the tunnels of hell. There is no greater feeling – not even when carrying out a highly impactful operation – than the sense of duty and purpose in bringing the hostages home. This has been my foremost mission since October 7.”