Ex-Defense Minister Gallant Reveals Covert Israeli Strikes Ahead of Hezbollah Pager Operation

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has revealed new details about covert operations conducted by Israel prior to the "pager operation" against Hezbollah, which saw thousands of the group's devices detonate in Lebanon. Among these actions, Gallant disclosed the assassination of a Hezbollah operative suspected of being aware that the pagers were booby-trapped. Israel also eliminated individuals involved with testing devices intended to probe the pagers.

These targeted killings were designed to mislead Hezbollah into believing Israel was unaware of their sophisticated plan. Gallant explained in an interview that the primary objective was to neutralize Hezbollah's fighting force using communication devices, a plan he described as the main operation. He noted that the pagers, which were also rigged to explode, were detonated after the communication devices because the pagers themselves were at risk of discovery.

Gallant detailed three distinct events: first, eliminating an operative who suspected the pager plot; second, neutralizing individuals involved with testing devices that were sent to Lebanon; and third, proceeding with the pager operation itself. He stated that the pager operation, which had been in development for a decade, resulted in over 2,000 Hezbollah casualties, including injuries to limbs and eyes.

However, Gallant lamented that the larger operation involving communication devices, which were more numerous and contained greater explosive power, was activated a day later. The majority of these devices remained in storage and detonated there, their impact not fully realized. He contrasted these separate events with a unified operation planned for October 11, 2023, which he claimed was intended to eliminate Hezbollah's fighting force via communication devices but was ultimately canceled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

These revelations are emerging in conjunction with a new film, "Paging Hezbollah," set to be released next month in the United States. The film features interviews with Netanyahu, former Mossad chief Dedi Barnea, and former head of the Northern Command Uri Gordin, among others. Netanyahu himself had previously disclosed some of these details in April 2025, surprising security officials due to the previously classified nature of the information. He mentioned that in September, Israel learned Hezbollah had sent three pagers for scanning in Iran and that Israel had destroyed a scanner and its operator before that.