Pager attack was years in making: Ex-Israeli agents

Two recently retired senior Israeli intelligence agents shared new details about a deadly clandestine operation years in the making that targeted Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and Syria using exploding pagers and walkie-talkies three months ago.

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WASHINGTON: Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war.

The agents spoke with CBS "60 Minutes" in a segment aired on Sunday night. They wore masks and spoke with altered voices to hide their identities.

One agent said the operation started 10 years ago using walkie-talkies laden with hidden explosives, which Hezbollah didn't realize it was buying from Israel, its enemy. The walkie-talkies were not detonated until September, a day after booby-trapped pagers were set off.

"We created a pretend world," said the officer, who went by the name "Michael."