Israeli unit 8200 linked to deadly Hezbollah pager blasts
Tuesday's pager explosions linked to Hezbollah may lead to the uncovering of a secret Israeli special unit's activities, Reuters reports, citing data from Western intelligence agencies. Unit 8200, part of the Israeli military services, specializes in cyber warfare operations.
Tuesday's Hezbollah pager explosions in Lebanon, which led to the death of three people and the injury of thousands, were carried out by the Israeli unit.
Israel has yet to issue an official comment on these incidents or the subsequent, Wednesday explosions of other electronic devices, which resulted in the death of nine people and hundreds injured.
As reported by Reuters, citing sources including Lebanese intelligence, the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad allegedly installed a small amount of explosives in approximately 5,000 devices ordered by Hezbollah.
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"Unit 8200 was involved in the operation, which took about a year to plan," said an anonymous worker from one of the Western intelligence agencies.
Unit 8200 is a cell often consisting of young recruits with exceptional skills in computing. Former Israeli military intelligence officer Jossi Kuperwasser noted that it reports to the defence minister, not Mossad. "Members of this cell are characterized by an extraordinary approach to solving complex issues," said Kuperwasser.
Avi Shua, once a member of this unit, told Reuters: "Whether it is a problem related to software, mathematics, or coding, (in 8200) you must be able to solve it independently."
On Wednesday, September 18, another series of pager explosions took place. The explosions occurred, among others, during the funeral of victims from the previous day. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that 14 people were killed, and approximately 450 people were injured. "The pager explosions aimed at Hezbollah indicate a significant risk of dramatic escalation in Lebanon," stated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
