Behind the new pager affair, the war of intelligence services
By admitting to informing the Turkish MIT about the cargo of rigged devices, Hezbollah inadvertently removes a bargaining chip from Ankara's hands against the Mossad.
The remaining parts of the pagers after their explosion on Sept. 17, 2024. (Credit: AFP archive photo)
Turkey’s interception of a second shipment of rigged pagers has brought into the open a long-running shadow war between Israel's Mossad and Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT).Ankara appeared eager to claim a victory when — several months after the operation — it revealed through the media "the discovery" of 1,300 modified pagers intended for Hezbollah via Istanbul. But, when approached by Lebanese media, Hezbollah acknowledged it was the one that alerted Turkish authorities, helping to foil the Israeli plot.The information had leaked about 10 days ago in the pro-government Turkish media outlet, The Daily Sabah, which splashed the story on its front page. The paper lauded MIT’s interception of the devices, which spared the lives and prevented the injury of more than a thousand Hezbollah members or affiliates.The second...
Turkey’s interception of a second shipment of rigged pagers has brought into the open a long-running shadow war between Israel's Mossad and Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT).Ankara appeared eager to claim a victory when — several months after the operation — it revealed through the media "the discovery" of 1,300 modified pagers intended for Hezbollah via Istanbul. But, when approached by Lebanese media, Hezbollah acknowledged it was the one that alerted Turkish authorities, helping to foil the Israeli plot.The information had leaked about 10 days ago in the pro-government Turkish media outlet, The Daily Sabah, which splashed the story on its front page. The paper lauded MIT’s interception of the devices, which spared the lives and prevented the injury of more than a thousand Hezbollah members or affiliates.The...