Over 3,000 Casualties from 'Ppippi Bomb'... Mossad Was Meticulous, Hezbollah Was Complacent

Preparing since 2022 to induce Hezbollah purchase
Bomb hidden so intricately it can't be found even if disassembled

On the 17th of last month (local time), reports emerged that the simultaneous explosions of ‘Pippi (pager) bombs’ in Lebanon were the result of a meticulous operation by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

Yonhap News Agency reported, "Based on interviews conducted by The Washington Post (WP) on the 5th (local time) with Israeli and Arab security officials, politicians, diplomats, Lebanese officials, and individuals close to Hezbollah, this information was revealed."

According to Yonhap and WP, the concept of the pager operation, dubbed a modern-day ‘communication Trojan horse,’ first emerged in 2022. This was one year before the October 7 attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on Israel, which triggered the Gaza Strip war.

At that time, Mossad had spent years trying to infiltrate Hezbollah, the strongest pro-Iran armed group in the region. They particularly exploited Hezbollah leadership’s concerns about Israeli wiretapping, hacking, and tracking.

In 2023, Hezbollah received a large purchase offer for Apollo pagers (model AR924), a Taiwanese brand. The offer was made by a former Middle East sales representative associated with Apollo. The representative was a woman whose identity and nationality remain unknown, and who maintained ongoing contact with Hezbollah. She established her own company and obtained a license to sell Apollo pagers.

Debris from the explosion of a pager attacked by Mossad on Hezbollah [Image source=Yonhap News]

Hezbollah’s leadership was reportedly very satisfied with the performance of these pagers. At the time, the sales representative emphasized to Hezbollah that the AR924 model could be charged via cable and had a long-lasting battery.

Judging that there was no risk of Israeli intelligence agencies tracking the pagers, Hezbollah’s leadership purchased 5,000 Apollo pagers and distributed them to fighters and support personnel.

However, this was a Mossad operation disguised to avoid Hezbollah’s suspicion by using a Taiwanese brand instead of companies from the U.S. or other Israeli allies. The actual production of this model was outsourced, and even the female sales representative was unaware that the pagers were assembled in Israel under Mossad’s supervision.

The pager weighs less than 85 grams and was equipped with a battery pack containing a powerful small explosive device. According to related officials, the bomb was so intricately concealed that it could not be detected even if the pager was disassembled.

Moreover, the device was designed so that viewing encrypted messages required pressing two buttons simultaneously with both hands. This was intended to maximize user casualties in the event of an explosion. This explains why most users suffered injuries to their hands and faces during the blast.

Subsequently, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved countermeasures against Hezbollah, Mossad detonated the pagers on the 17th. It is reported that around 3,000 members of the organization were killed or injured, and civilians were also affected.

WP explained that Israel took advantage of the disruption of Hezbollah’s communication network to assassinate its leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on the 27th of the same month, and launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon three days later.