Netanyahu admits ‘Israel’ behind Lebanon pager terror attack
By
Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
10 Nov 2024 18:46
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admits that the Israeli occupation was behind the terrorist pager attack on Lebanon that left thousands wounded.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed during a cabinet meeting on Sunday that the Israeli occupation was responsible for the September pager and wireless receiver terrorist attacks that wounded and killed hundreds of people, Israeli media reported.
According to these reports, Netanyahu acknowledged that the operation, which targeted thousands of pagers across Lebanon and parts of Syria, was conducted despite opposition from top officials in the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and intelligence agencies, including recently sacked Security Minister Yoav Gallant.
“The pager operation and the elimination of [Sayyed Hassan] Nasrallah were carried out despite the opposition of senior officials in the defense establishment and those responsible for them in the political echelon,” Netanyahu reportedly said.
Netanyahu’s remarks appeared to take aim at the IOF and intelligence leaders, signaling a rift between his administration and security officials over the attack.
The Israeli occupation had not previously taken public responsibility for the attacks despite accusations from numerous parties, including the Lebanese government.
The New York Times reported in September, citing US and other officials briefed on the attack, that “Israel” planted explosive material in a recent batch of Taiwanese-brand pagers imported to Lebanon.
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Pagers ordered by Hezbollah from Gold Apollo were tampered with before arriving in the county, some officials stated. Most pagers were the AR924 models, but the shipment also included three other models from the company, according to NYT.
Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo said the pagers were produced and developed by a European company, CEO Hsu Chin-Kuang said on Wednesday.
“The pagers were both developed and produced abroad, so they have nothing to do with Taiwan,” the director was quoted as saying by Taiwanese news portal CTWANT.
He also said that about three years ago, Gold Apollo signed a cooperation agreement with a European company, which was only involved in distributing Gold Apollo products at first, but later began independently developing the pagers involved in the blasts.
The explosive material, weighing less than 60 grams, was implanted next to the battery in each device, two officials said. An embedded switch was also planted in the pagers, allowing for remote detonation of the explosives.
Three officials said that the devices were programmed to beep for several before exploding.
It is unclear when the devices were ordered or arrived in Lebanon. However, several officials said over 3,000 pagers were ordered from the Taiwanese company and distributed to Resistance members throughout the country.
