Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday admitted that he had okayed a pager attack on Hezbollah in September which killed several people in Lebanon.
During cabinet meeting, PM Netanyahu acknowledged Israel’s responsibility for the pager and walkie-talkie strikes that took place in two waves on September 17 and 18, killing at least 39 people. Lebanon said nearly 3,000 others were wounded in the attack, Times of Israel reported.
“The pager operation and the elimination of [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah were carried out despite the opposition of senior officials in the defense establishment and those responsible for them in the political echelon,” Netanyahu reportedly said criticising recently dismissed defence minister Yoav Gallant.
Prior to the explosions, Gallant had indicated that Israel’s military priorities would concentrate on the northern region.
The relationship between Netanyahu and Gallant has been marked by frequent disagreements during their governmental tenure. In March 2023, Netanyahu dismissed Gallant after the defence minister suggested halting the government’s controversial judicial reform process, citing national security concerns due to societal divisions.
Gallant returned to his position within a month and was serving as defence minister when Hamas launched its deadly attack in southern Israel on October 7 last year.
He maintained his role throughout the subsequent Gaza war, northern border conflicts, and southern Lebanon operations.
At a Tuesday press conference, Gallant stated his dismissal was due to his stance on conscripting Haredi men into the IDF, his emphasis on recovering Gaza hostages, and his support for a state inquiry into the October 7 Hamas attack and subsequent war.
Netanyahu, seemingly avoiding accountability for security lapses, has attributed the failure to anticipate Hamas’s October 7 attack to security forces and opposed establishing a public inquiry commission into the events leading to it.