Another 'exploding pager' plot? Israel eyes strike on Tehran’s top military bosses

Israel is considering a covert operation modelled on its 2024 exploding-pager attacks against Hezbollah to target Iran's top military and security leadership, potentially eliminating key commanders and disrupting the country's wartime command structure, amid growing uncertainty over the possibility of renewed US-Israeli strikes against Tehran."According to a report published by the New York Post, former Mossad deputy head of global operations Oded Ailam said Israel could consider a pager-style operation targeting Iran's military establishment, describing the option as 'fully on the table'."He identified four senior figures as the people exercising real power in Tehran, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Ahmad Vahidi, Basij commander Hossein Taeb, armed forces chief of staff Ali Abdollahi and security official Mohsen Rezaei.Ailam argued that Iran's military establishment has emerged as the principal centre of power, with the country's political leadership struggling to maintain control over strategic decisions. He suggested that disagreements between military hardliners and political officials have also complicated Tehran's negotiations with Washington.The proposed operation draws parallels with Israel's September 2024 covert campaign against Hezbollah, widely referred to as Operation Grim Beeper, in which thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by the Iran-backed militant group exploded across Lebanon in two successive waves.The first wave began on September 17, 2024, when thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah operatives exploded almost simultaneously across Lebanon, particularly in Beirut's southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. The following day, September 18, a second wave targeted handheld walkie-talkies used by the group, triggering explosions in several locations, including during funerals. The two attacks killed at least 39 people and injured more than 3,400, according to Reuters.According to Reuters, Hezbollah had ordered approximately 5,000 AR-924 pagers, which were allegedly modified before reaching the group. Explosives were concealed inside the devices, allowing Israeli intelligence to turn ordinary communication equipment into remotely activated weapons.In December 2024, two former Israeli intelligence officers, speaking anonymously to CBS News' 60 Minutes, disclosed further details about the operation. They said the planning had begun nearly a decade earlier with booby-trapped walkie-talkies, while the pager component was developed from 2022 onwards.The report comes amid growing indications that Washington and Tel Aviv are preparing for a possible resumption of military operations against Iran after the November 3 US midterm elections. A third American aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, is heading towards the Middle East, where it is expected to join the USS George Washington and USS George HW Bush, already deployed in the region.US President Donald Trump told Kansas City radio station KCMO on Friday that the war was "going to get wrapped up soon", without providing details about how or when the conflict would end, according to the report.Retired US Army General Jack Keane argued that any renewed American and Israeli military campaign should target Iran's military leadership alongside its nuclear programme, domestic energy infrastructure and ballistic missile and drone facilities.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.