Israel implanted listening devices in pagers and knew precisely about the movements and messages of thousands of Hezbollah operatives.
The Mossad began introducing radios with explosives into Lebanon from 2015. The two-way radios contained large battery packs, hidden explosives and a transmission system that gave Israel full access to Hezbollah's communications.
The Israelis listened to Hezbollah for nine years while maintaining the possibility of converting radios into bombs in the future. It was not revealed how many radios were sold to Hezbollah or how Hezbollah was convinced to purchase them.
The idea for Operation Pager arose in 2022, after the success of a two-way radio project, according to Israeli, Middle Eastern and American officials who spoke to The Washington Post.