Former Head of Israeli Military Intelligence: Pager Explosions Were a 'Clear Message' to Hezbollah

Amos Yadlin, former head of the Israeli military intelligence (Aman), told Radio Farda that the explosion of pager devices in Lebanon was a clear message to the Hezbollah group. At 3:30 PM on Tuesday, September 27, local time in Lebanon, explosions began involving hundreds of pagers that had been in the possession of Hezbollah forces. Lebanon's Health Minister, Firas Al-Abyad, announced that at least 9 people were killed and 2,800 others were injured as a result of the pager explosions, adding that the condition of about 200 of the injured is critical. The Lebanese government and Hezbollah pointed the finger at Israel for this incident, but Israel did not confirm or deny the accusation. Israeli media reported that the Israeli National Security Council has asked ministers and officials not to comment on the explosions in Lebanon. Yadlin stated, 'Whoever did this wanted to send a clear message to Hezbollah. It is likely a carefully planned and timed operation.' He continued, 'This may be a reaction to a plot to assassinate a senior Israeli security figure that the Israeli security apparatus announced.' On Tuesday, the Israeli internal security service (Shabak) announced that it had thwarted a 'plot' to assassinate a senior security official, without naming the individual but adding that Hezbollah was behind this 'plot.' Yadlin also referred to recent attacks by Hezbollah against Israel, stating, 'From a strategic perspective, Hezbollah continues its attacks on Israel and tries to associate itself with the Gaza war. Nasrallah does not want to stop the ongoing attacks on Israel. Therefore, the Israeli government decided yesterday to add the safe return of citizens to the north to its list of war objectives.' The Israeli security cabinet officially expanded the war objectives in Gaza to include 'the safe return of residents of northern Israel to their homes.' According to a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this decision was approved in a security cabinet meeting on the evening of Monday, September 26, paving the way for a large-scale military operation by Israel against Hezbollah in Lebanon. A day after the surprise attack on October 15 by the extremist group Hamas on Israeli cities and settlements, exchanges of fire began between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Hezbollah claims that its goal is to launch rocket, missile, and drone attacks on Israel to relieve pressure on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah have so far led to the evacuation of many areas in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. More than 500 people have been killed in Lebanon, of which about 100 are civilians and the rest are Hezbollah forces and other armed groups. In Israel, the death toll from this tension has reached 44, of which 24 are civilians. The former head of Israeli military intelligence told Radio Farda, 'Nasrallah (the Secretary-General of Hezbollah) must understand that his actions have led to a change in Israeli policy. But will this change in policy lead to a widespread war or a limited military operation? This issue will become clear in the coming days, but in any case, we are now in a new phase.'