Everyone curious about how Israel plans to counter Houthis in Yemen

(MENAFN) Everyone is curious about how Israel plans to counter the Houthis in Yemen, and last night, CBS's "60 Minutes" aired an investigative report on Cellcom TV in Israel. It featured retired Mossad operatives who had been involved in the covert campaign against Hezbollah using pagers and communication devices. This was their first public interview, where they shared new details about the decade-long operation. One operative recalled how once a campaign was completed, they immediately began preparing for the next. The release of this information to millions of viewers worldwide carries a strategic message to the leadership in Tehran, the Houthis, and all members of the Shiite axis. Israel is warning that it will creatively and decisively target its enemies from unexpected angles, using its intelligence capabilities to disrupt their operations—often in deadly ways.

The pager operation is considered one of the most brilliant intelligence campaigns ever executed. Mossad's ability, creativity, and intelligence astounded experts worldwide. This strategic campaign successfully neutralized up to a quarter of Hezbollah's military capacity through the destruction of communication devices used by the group. The attack involved a series of coordinated bombings targeting thousands of pagers and hundreds of communication devices used by Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon and Syria. The attack occurred on September 17-18 of this year, marking the beginning of a larger military maneuver. It resulted in the deaths of at least 59 people, including four civilians, with around 4,500 others severely injured. Hezbollah's forces, which numbered just under 20,000 at the time, were significantly affected.

The operation began over a decade ago, when Mossad decided to sabotage Hezbollah's communication devices. Initially, they planned to rig walkie-talkies with explosive devices, but the IDF realized that the devices could only be activated during intense combat situations. Mossad chief Dady Barnea sought a way to affect Hezbollah operatives even when they were not on the battlefield. The solution came in 2022, with the creation of a pager device that would explode when a message was read. This new pager was the largest and heaviest ever produced, with explosives hidden inside that would detonate when the user tried to read an encrypted communication. Mossad's challenge was convincing Hezbollah to buy these unattractive, bulky devices. They marketed the pagers by highlighting their impressive features: they were extremely durable, capable of receiving reports underwater, and resistant to damage, even from a hammer strike. Through this innovative operation, Mossad succeeded in causing significant harm to Hezbollah, demonstrating the intelligence agency's skill in both covert operations and strategic messaging.

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