In 2022, a group of Israeli intelligence officers came up with a plan to pull off one of the most cunning and deadly acts of spycraft in modern history. Their target? Hezbollah, a powerful militia group in Lebanon that has long been a thorn in Israel’s side. Hezbollah is known for being extremely careful and paranoid about Israeli surveillance, so this plan had to be nearly flawless—and it was.

The idea was to turn a simple communication device, something as ordinary as a pager, into a deadly weapon. Pagers, though outdated in many parts of the world, are still used by militia groups like Hezbollah because they’re considered secure and hard to track. Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, saw an opportunity to use this to their advantage.

The Perfect Disguise: An Innocent-Looking Pager

Mossad designed a new type of pager, the AR924. On the surface, it looked perfect for a militia like Hezbollah. It was rugged, waterproof, and had an oversized battery that could last for months without needing to be charged. The key selling point? These pagers seemed impossible for Israel or any other enemy to track.

Hezbollah, always on the lookout for better, more secure communication tools, was impressed. They trusted the person selling the pagers, who had no idea about the plot. Hezbollah bought 5,000 of them and began handing them out to their fighters and support staff.

What they didn’t know was that Mossad had turned these pagers into bombs.

A Deadly Trap Inside

Hidden within the battery of each pager was a tiny amount of explosives. These explosives were so well-concealed that even if someone took apart the pager or X-rayed it, they wouldn’t have found anything suspicious. But the most sinister part? Mossad could remotely detonate the pagers whenever they wanted.

Even more clever was the pager’s decryption feature. To read an encrypted message, the user would have to press two buttons at the same time—meaning they’d be holding the pager with both hands when it exploded. This guaranteed that the explosion would do the most damage, maiming or killing the user instantly.

The Devastating Attack

For months, Hezbollah fighters carried these pagers, completely unaware of the deadly trap in their hands. Then, on September 17, 2024, Mossad made its move. Across Lebanon and Syria, thousands of pagers buzzed or vibrated with a simple message: “You have received an encrypted message.”

As Hezbollah members followed the instructions to read the message, explosions ripped through homes, shops, cars, and streets. Thousands of pagers detonated at the same time, killing or severely injuring around 3,000 Hezbollah fighters and support personnel. Many of those affected weren’t frontline soldiers but important figures working behind the scenes, making the damage even more devastating for Hezbollah.

But Mossad wasn’t done yet. The next day, they remotely detonated hundreds of walkie-talkies that Hezbollah had been using for years. These devices also contained hidden explosives, and their sudden explosions added to the chaos, killing more operatives.

The Ripple Effect

This operation dealt a massive blow to Hezbollah, shaking its leadership to the core. Many in Israel saw this as the perfect opportunity to push Hezbollah further, using airstrikes and even considering a ground invasion to dismantle the group completely.

However, within Israel’s political and military circles, not everyone was sure if this was a good idea. Some were concerned that the attack might provoke Hezbollah—and even Iran—into launching a massive missile strike on Israel in retaliation. But Mossad, emboldened by the success of the pager operation, believed it was worth the risk.

In the end, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to act. On September 27, just 10 days after the pagers exploded, Israeli jets bombed key Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. During a speech at the United Nations the same day, Netanyahu sent a clear message to Hezbollah: “Enough is enough.”

A Final Blow

On September 28, Hezbollah finally confirmed what many had suspected—its leader, Hasan Nasrallah, was dead. Israel had known Nasrallah’s location for years but had held off on assassinating him, fearing it could lead to a full-blown war. But with Hezbollah in disarray after the pager bombings, Israel took the chance to strike.

The pager operation was not only a brilliant act of spycraft, but it also marked a turning point in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. It showed just how far intelligence agencies are willing to go to outsmart their enemies—and how devastating the consequences can be when they succeed.

This operation, crafted in secrecy over the years, shocked the world and proved that even the most ordinary devices can be turned into deadly weapons when placed in the hands of master spies.