Israel News for 9-18-2024
News Update
In an operation taken straight out of a spy thriller, Israel remotely detonated thousands of pagers carried by Hezbollah operatives and related persons in Lebanon, Syria and Iran. The pagers were part of a 5,000 pager shipment ordered from a company in Taiwan months ago. Explosive material was embedded near the battery of each pager, with a remotely activated switch embedded to trigger the detonation. At 3:30 p.m., a message resembling a directive from Hezbollah leadership was sent to the pagers, activating the explosives. Around 4,000 Hezbollah terrorists were reportedly wounded, hundreds critically. Many lost eyes and fingers. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, lost an eye and suffered severe injuries to the other.
Hsu Ching-kuang, the founder and president of the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo that reportedly manufactured the pagers, that his small company, which employs just 40 people in New Taipei, had produced the devices involved in the attack. He said that they were produced by a European company called BAC, which was licensed to use Gold Apollo’s brand. The company’s website has been taken down. The sale was facilitated by a Hungarian company based in Budapest. Hezbollah used pagers to avoid its terrorists from being located. So much for that plan.
A Hezbollah spokesperson, speaking to the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar, said, “Within a minute, the enemy dealt one of its worst blows to Hezbollah since the conflict began,” adding that the operation showcased Israel’s technological and intelligence superiority, significantly disrupting Hezbollah’s communications. He said, “The enemy has pushed the resistance beyond the traditional rules of engagement that have held for a year. We are now facing a new reality.”
The IDF is bracing for Hezbollah retaliation. The IDF is redeploying its elite 98th division from Gaza to the northern border.
Four IDF soldiers were killed in Gaza, when the building they were inside exploded:
– Cpt. Daniel Mimon Toaff, 23, from Moreshet, deputy company commander of the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion.
– Staff Sgt. Agam Naim, 20, from Mishmarot, a paramedic in the 401st Armored Brigade’s 52nd Battalion.
– Staff Sgt. Amit Bakri, 21, from Yoshivia, serving in the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion.
– Staff Sgt. Dotan Shimon, 21, from Elazar, also in the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion.
In the same incident, an officer and two soldiers from the Shaked Battalion were seriously injured, while two others sustained moderate injuries.
The Israel Air Force struck Hamas terrorists operating from within a command and control center based in the Ibn Al-Haytam School in the Gaza City area today. Hamas terrorists were using the structure to plan and execute attacks on IDF troops and Israeli territory.
