Israeli elite unit 8200 involved in Hezbollah's pager attack: Reuters

Shafaq News/ A recent pager attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon has drawn attention to Israel’s Unit 8200, an elite intelligence branch of the Israeli forces.

A Reuters report said the unit played a key role in planning the operation though the Israeli authorities have not commented on the incident.

The sophisticated operation, reportedly involving explosives planted in 5,000 pagers ordered by Hezbollah, killed 12 people and injured thousands. On Wednesday, another explosion linked to Hezbollah hand-held radios left others dead.

A Lebanese security source and another source confirmed to Reuters that Israel’s Mossad was behind the operation. However, a Western security official stated that Unit 8200 contributed to the technical development, testing methods for embedding explosive material in the pagers. The Israeli army and the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, which oversees Mossad, declined to comment.

Yossi Kuperwasser, a former military intelligence officer, told Reuters that there was no official confirmation of Unit 8200’s involvement, though the unit is renowned for its intelligence capabilities and highly skilled personnel. Known for developing and operating advanced intelligence tools, Unit 8200 is often compared to the US National Security Agency (NSA).

In 2018, the Israeli army publicly acknowledged Unit 8200’s role in thwarting an Islamic State air attack on a Western country. The unit has also been linked to the Stuxnet cyberattack on Iranian nuclear facilities and other high-profile operations, though Israel has never confirmed these involvements.

Unit 8200 has faced scrutiny following its failure to detect Hamas’ October 7 assault on southern Israel. Its commander resigned last week, acknowledging shortcomings in fulfilling the unit’s mission.

The unit, according to the sources, has also helped shape Israel’s high-tech industry, with many alumni going on to found major cybersecurity firms.