'Masterstroke by Israelis': Indian Army chief praises Lebanon pager blast operation via shell company (WATCH)

Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi has praised Israel's recent covert operation of using "explosive pagers" against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, calling it a "masterstroke" in military planning. Speaking at the Chanakya Defence Dialogues, General Dwivedi highlighted the intricacies behind Israel's move to establish a shell company that manufactured pagers rigged with explosives and delivered them to Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, resulting in significant casualties among the militant group.

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"The pager that you're talking about, it's a Taiwan company being supplied to a Hungarian company. Hungarian company thereafter giving it to them. The shell company which had been created is something which is a masterstroke by the Israelis. And for that, it requires years and years of preparation. So it means they were prepared for it," he said.

"The war does not start the way you start fighting. It starts the day you start planning. And this is what is most important," he further stated.

The Israeli military initially concentrated on eliminating Hamas, which had been identified as the primary target in the ongoing conflict. Once Hamas was neutralized, Israel turned its attention northwards to Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah. In a pivotal move, Israel also orchestrated the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several top commanders in recent weeks. The use of explosive devices embedded in everyday communication tools, such as pagers and walkie-talkies, marked a new chapter in asymmetric warfare.

Last month, the New York Times reported that multiple pager and walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon killed nearly 40 Hezbollah members and left over 3,000 injured. Three Israeli intelligence officers confirmed to the publication that Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, had created a shell company to manufacture the rigged devices at their source. The pagers, disguised as ordinary communication tools, were reportedly shipped from Taiwan to Hungary, before eventually making their way to Hezbollah members in Lebanon.

Experts termed this operation a "supply chain attack"—a strategic method of infiltrating a supply line to sabotage products before they reach their final destination. This type of attack is particularly dangerous, as it allows for precise targeting with limited exposure, preventing the adversary from tracing the operation back to its source.

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Drawing parallels with the Indian security landscape, General Dwivedi stressed the importance of being vigilant against supply chain vulnerabilities. He urged for heightened scrutiny of imported goods and materials, particularly those that could be tampered with or weaponized.

"Coming on to our side, supply chain interruption, interception is something we have to be very watchful of. We have to have various levels of inspection whether it is at the technological level as well as manual level to make sure such things do not get repeated in our case," the Indian Army chief further said.

• General Upendra Dwivedi
• Hamas
• Hassan Nasrallah
• Hezbollah
• Indian Army Chief
• Israel
• Israel-Palestine war
• Lebanon
• Mossad
• defense strategy
• explosive pagers
• military planning
• shell company
• supply chain attack
• supply chain security
• technological inspection