Hezbollah hit hard: Israel activates “red button” explosive device

The bombs that exploded in Lebanon last week were part of Israel's “Red Button” plan, which is designed to be activated at a critical moment to achieve maximum effect against an adversary, current and former Israeli officials with knowledge of the pager operation told the WashingtonPost.

The double series of bomb explosions that occurred across Lebanon last week left numerous Hezbollah casualties across the country.

According to the report, the plot was primarily part of Israel's long-term strategy to develop its “red button capability” to be prepared for critical moments.

“A 'red button' is the concept of something you can use when you want or need it,” a former Israeli official with knowledge of the pager operation explained in the report.

However, the reasons for the timing of the device attack are not yet fully understood.

Mourners gather at the funeral of Hezbollah members Fadel Abbas Bazzi and Ahmad Ali Hassan after handheld radios and pagers belonging to the armed group Hezbollah were detonated across Lebanon, in Ghobeiry, a southern suburb of Beirut, September 19, 2024. (Source: REUTERS/EMILIE MADI)

The bomb attack was “not part of the comprehensive plan” that was envisaged when the operation was being planned, the official continued, but also noted that it had a significant impact on disrupting the Lebanese terrorist group.

Another former Israeli intelligence official said the operation was top secret and part of a “multi-year investment to penetrate Hezbollah's communications, logistics and procurement structures.”

“Long before the pagers were stuffed with explosives, Israel's Mossad and other intelligence services had developed a detailed understanding of what Hezbollah needs, where its gaps are, what front companies it works with, where they are located and who its contacts are,” the second Israeli official said.

The official also said that once the Hezbollah network has been mapped, Israel needs to build a network of companies that sell to each other. This would allow Israel to get closer to Hezbollah and track down agents “who rely on their own shell companies while concealing any connection to Israel.”

Officials in the US are trying to put the puzzle pieces together

In addition, several American and Western security officials stated post that they were still piecing together the details of the operation.

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A former US intelligence official criticized the Israeli operation, saying in the report that Israel's decision to equip the devices with explosives rather than sophisticated spy equipment reflected a “cult of attack mentality in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which favors demonstrations of kinetic power that may not achieve Israel's broader goals in an escalating regional conflict.”

In contrast, Eyal Pinko, a former Israeli naval commander and intelligence officer, said post The bomb attack was “a severe blow to Hezbollah’s command and control structure.”

“This will unbalance Hezbollah. It will [Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah] It would take quite a long time to throw his troops back,” Pinko noted.

Ralph Goff, a former senior CIA official stationed in the Middle East, added in the report that the US did not know about Israel's IED detonation plan because if they had known about it, US authorities “would have freaked out and pulled out all the stops to stop them from doing it.”

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