Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Israeli responsibility for Hezbollah’s exploding communications gear in September during Sunday’s Cabinet meeting.
The meeting, the first since the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu said many senior political and security figures opposed the operation, as well as the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah blew up on Sept. 17 and 18, killing 42 people and injuring an estimated 3,500 people, mostly Hezbollah operatives. Israel never officially claimed responsibility for the attack, nor has it been clarified exactly how and when the devices were sabotaged.
Presumably alluding to Gallant, Netanyahu said, “When I wanted to eliminate Nasrallah, enter Rafah and other things – there were those who opposed it in the cabinet. One of the claims was the reluctance of the United States to cooperate. I did not agree and went all the way. There are insiders and outsiders who lie about the deal to release hostages. They lie about the families.”