Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Mossad chief praises Netanyahu for Hezbollah pager operation

Countering claims by former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Mossad chief said that the operation was far more effective than it would have been if conducted months earlier.

Netanyahu Barnea
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks with Mossad Director David Barnea at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO.

Mossad chief David Barnea on Tuesday revealed new details about Israel’s Sept. 17, 2024 operation targeting Hezbollah’s communications devices.

Speaking at the INSS International Conference in Tel Aviv, Barnea praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for approving the operation despite opposition, and countered claims by former defense minister Yoav Gallant that delaying the attack decreased its impact.

According to Barnea, by the time of the operation, Hezbollah had 10 times more beepers and twice as many walkie-talkies than when the Iranian-backed terror group opened a front against Israel from Lebanon a day after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Barnea called the operation a “turning point” in Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog said in a confidential report that the halt of inspections “needs to be rectified with the utmost urgency.”
Can the Yashar party chief build a coalition that survives beyond its first vote?
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is among the governors who have opted their states into the program.
A senior Hamas commander targeted in Thursday’s airstrike was responsible for holding several Israeli hostages, including soldiers and civilians, the army said.