Loosely translated into Kinyarwanda, Mossad means the “Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations.”
This well-known agency in Hebrew is Israel’s national intelligence agency and operates alongside Aman (military intelligence) and Shin Bet (internal security).
Mossad is a renowned intelligence agency, known for conducting sophisticated operations. It is tasked with intelligence gathering, covert operations, and counter-terrorism. Only the Prime Minister of Israel holds final authority over its operations.
According to Wikipedia, Mossad operates with a budget of 10 billion Israeli Shekels (approximately USD 2.73 billion) and employs around 7,000 people.
Mossad is considered one of the world’s most powerful intelligence agencies.
In this series of stories, we revisit operations that Mossad has admitted to executing, such as the capture of Otto Adolf Eichmann, the infamous Nazi involved in the Holocaust.
In today’s story, we highlight how Mossad managed to infiltrate Hezbollah’s communication systems in Lebanon — a group that has long been in conflict with Israel and is listed as a terrorist organization.
On September 17, 2024, around 3:00 PM at a market in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, security cameras recorded what initially looked like an ordinary moment.
Video footage quickly circulated in media showing a communication device (a walkie-talkie) exploding in the hands of a person who had just received a secret message through it.
Many Lebanese civilians were shocked by the incident.
The sudden and deadly explosions revealed that Hezbollah members receiving secret communications were unknowingly receiving deadly traps, possibly from their central command.
According to The Jerusalem Post on September 18, 2024, Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured during these walkie-talkie device explosions.
What Really Happened?
Video evidence from the explosions shows that when users received messages and activated their devices, they immediately exploded.
Over 2,800 individuals across Lebanon suffered injuries related to these walkie-talkies.
These walkie-talkies — technology dating back to the 1980s — are still trusted by experts for secure, phone-independent emergency communication.
Hezbollah had chosen to use these instead of mobile phones.
But Mossad, working around the clock, found an opportunity.
Former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah — who was later assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut according to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) — had previously ordered his followers to avoid mobile phones.
Hezbollah had no idea that Mossad had adapted its communication warfare strategy to exploit the very walkie-talkie system ordered by Nasrallah.
After the devices started exploding, hospitals in Beirut were overwhelmed with casualties.
Victims suffered facial injuries, lost fingers, or damage to intimate body parts.
The day after the first explosion, during a Hezbollah funeral attended by thousands, more devices exploded in the crowd.
In the panic, people began smashing their phones on the ground, believing they might be carrying explosive tech.
At least 37 people died, 3,700 were injured, and thousands of Hezbollah supporters suffered psychological trauma.
What Methods Were Possibly Used?
Two possible methods were discussed:
First theory: Some believed a cyberattack was used to remotely overheat the device’s battery until it exploded. However, experts dismissed this as unlikely. Overheating usually causes swelling and smoke — not a bomb-like detonation.
Second theory (more likely): Intelligence reports indicated that Hezbollah had ordered the devices a month earlier. Experts now believe these walkie-talkies had already been fitted with explosives before delivery — without Hezbollah’s knowledge.
These seemingly standard devices had special programs implanted that allowed a remote operator to trigger battery overheating, which in turn set off hidden explosives embedded in the devices.
Footage after the attacks showed how powerful the explosives were — in some cases strong enough to destroy nearby vehicles.
This operation shocked the world and deeply unsettled Hezbollah fighters.
Many of Hezbollah’s frontline commanders preparing for a potential war with Israel were hospitalized nationwide.
How Did Israel Prepare the Operation?
Investigations into the exploded walkie-talkies traced their manufacturer to Gold Apollo, a factory based in Taiwan.
The factory’s director denied involvement, stating that the devices were actually licensed by another factory called BA.C Consulting, also allegedly based in Taiwan.
Further investigations found BA.C’s actual location in Budapest, Hungary. However, its registered premises had disappeared, and the company had been removed from Google Maps, with no traceable data remaining.
Hungarian authorities also conducted an investigation and concluded that BA.C had not registered or manufactured any walkie-talkie devices. They claimed the devices that exploded in Lebanon did not originate from Hungary.
Yet, The New York Times, citing three senior intelligence sources, reported that the Hungarian firm had strong operational ties with Israel.
Remnants from the exploded devices also bore markings from ICOM, a Japanese company.
However, ICOM stated they had ceased walkie-talkie production in 2014.
Experts say it is now extremely difficult to trace exactly where these devices were manufactured.
Investigative journalists suspect black-market factories in China may have been responsible.
A media expert interviewed by L’Orient-Le Jour confirmed that this Mossad operation was expertly planned and achieved its strategic goal: to cripple Hezbollah’s capacity by striking fear and disabling their communication systems.
However, this “Talkie-Walkie Operation” also left lasting psychological trauma among ordinary Lebanese civilians, who now fear large gatherings and the potential of explosion of technological devices.
