Mossad Chief David Barnea addressed the pagers operation today during the INSS conference, providing new insights. During his speech, Barnea confirmed that it would have been better to carry out the operation on the date it was conducted, September 2024, rather than at the beginning of the war, as was believed by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Use of Craftiness and Deception
“This is a clear example of fulfilling our mission,” Barnea said in his speech. “In the emblem of the Mossad is inscribed the verse ‘Without counsel plans go awry, but with many advisers they succeed.’ In light of this verse, the Mossad fulfills its purpose for the security of the state and its citizens. The pagers operation was planned by Mossad employees using craftiness and deception.”
Barnea stated that the operation reflects deep intelligence penetration and understanding of the adversary, alongside technological superiority and operational capabilities, which he termed as “top-tier.” He noted that the operation symbolizes the “turning point” in the war in the north and marks the “opening act for the ten days during which the tables turned against our enemies. A clear line can be drawn in the northern conflict—from the pagers to the elimination of Nasrallah, and through to the agreement.”
“Hezbollah suffered a severe blow that broke the organization’s spirit. Victory in this war is not measured by the number of casualties or missiles but by defeating the spirit and motivation of the enemy.”
The Spirit of the People of Israel
The Mossad does not have military equipment in the conventional sense of the word, but Barnea stated that “we have the men and women of the Mossad who are the engine behind its operations and successes. They are the creative minds that turn the impossible into possible.”
Barnea recounted that during the discussion approving the operation, two schools of thought were presented. “The Prime Minister ultimately made the decision in complete contrast to the prevailing opinion in the discussion,” he stated. “And here we are reaping the reward. This is a prize for the entire people of Israel, not just the Mossad. A reward for changing the course of the battle. That was the day when the power of deception exceeded the power of kinetics.”
“On the day we were attacked, thanks to the spirit of the People of Israel, thanks to the soldiers of the IDF and security forces, and thanks to the sacrifices of the fallen and injured, Israel rose from the fractures to great hope. Our mission is not complete; we must continue to act to turn victories into operational and diplomatic successes on all fronts. Above all, we stand committed to bringing all hostages home, both the living and the deceased.”
Another Way to Hit Hezbollah Operatives
Barnea stated that the pagers operation is a “young operation,” in relation to the walkie-talkie operation that was activated the following day. “The walkie-talkie operation was developed about a decade ago during Tamir Pardo’s tenure and continued during Yossi Cohen’s time,” he revealed. “The idea for the pagers operation arose when we understood that the walkie-talkie operation was not effective in all combat situations. Therefore, we thought of an alternative way to hit Hezbollah operatives—by detonating devices attached to their bodies.”
He also noted that the initial infrastructures of the operation were established at the end of 2022, and the first shipment to Lebanon containing only 500 pagers arrived only weeks before the October 7 massacre. “At that time, thousands of communication devices from the old operation were mostly stored in Hezbollah’s warehouses. Implementing both operations at the beginning of the war would not have yielded the powerful achievement on the battlefield that we reached by the time the pagers operation was ultimately executed. At the time the pagers operation was activated, ten times more devices were blown up than we had at the beginning of the war, and twice as many communication devices were destroyed.”
