The IDF on Wednesday made new disclosures about its role in the beeper and walkie-talkie sabotage explosion attacks on Hezbollah from mid-September.
The military credited the Mossad with coming up with the earliest concept for pulling off the attacks, around a decade ago.
Once the Mossad presented the concept, the intelligence and operations arms of the military started a forceful push to transform the concept into a concrete plan and an actionable weapon.
The IDF also created mechanisms to study and compare scenarios for when it would be most effective to deploy the explosions, to achieve the maximum impact and strategic advantage.
IDF and Mossad cooperation
Both the IDF and the Mossad funded different aspects of the operation, understanding that the goal was to decisively defeat Hezbollah at the right moment, whenever that might be.
From the start of the Israel-Hamas War, a brigade-size unit of officers was established to gather the various analysis, intelligence, and operations details required before activating the operation.
Many of these officials worked on the operation at an intelligence collection base in the North.
The IDF recommended that the cabinet only initiate the operation at a time when the government was ready to conceptually shift its focus to the northern front as the primary military focus – while leaving the Gaza front as a secondary focus.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has alleged that some security officials opposed using the beeper and walkie-talkie explosions against Hezbollah, but that he overruled them and ordered the operation to go forward.
According to the military’s view disclosed on Wednesday, it never opposed using the operation but said that the government first had to shift its focus to declare the North as the main front.
The purpose of such a shift would be to maximize the utility of the operation by activating it in conjunction with a massive bombing campaign and eventual invasion.
Top Israeli officials have held opposing views about whether the operation would have even been more effective if deployed in October 2023, instead of September 2024.