Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, November 10, in a first public disclosure, that he had okayed a September attack on Hezbollah in which hundreds of communication devices exploded across Lebanon.
"Netanyahu confirmed Sunday that he greenlighted the pager operation in Lebanon," his spokesperson Omer Dostri told Agence France-Presse (AFP) of the attacks that killed nearly 40 people and wounded nearly 3,000, after hand-held devices used by Hezbollah operatives detonated two days in a row in supermarkets, on streets and at funerals in mid-September. The explosions preceded Israel's ongoing military operation in Lebanon.
Hezbollah had previously blamed its arch-foe for the blasts that dealt a major blow to the Iran-backed militant group and vowed revenge.
Hezbollah began low intensity strikes on Israel in support of Hamas following its ally's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel which triggered the Gaza war. Strikes have intensified since war broke out in Lebanon in late September, when Israel escalated its air campaign against Hezbollah and later sent ground troops into south Lebanon.