Raylan Givens Profile picture
Oct 16, 2024 9 tweets 3 min read Read on X
🚨EXCLUSIVE NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE PAGERS - A THREAD: Just when you thought it couldn't get crazier, Reuters released brand new details about Mossad's brilliant pager operation against Hezbollah in September. I will break down the most important parts and the exciting moments.
Let's start with the construction of the pagers themselves. The explosive component, Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (otherwise known as PETN), did the most damage. Mossad technicians found a way to insert a very thin square sheet of PETN between two battery cells and a strip of highly flammable material to act as a detonator. This entire package was placed into a plastic sleeve, which was encapsulated in a metal case roughly the size of a matchbox.
When the command was given, the flammable strip generated a spark to light the detonator and trigger the PETN to explode. The explosives took away some of the battery's power, which Hezbollah noticed when the battery would drain faster than expected. However, they never put two and two together and continued to use and issue the devices.
The complexity of this construction is essential for one primary reason: without metal components like a standard detonator or wires, the explosive element was utterly undetectable by X-ray. Israel knew that upon receiving the pagers, Hezbollah would likely check them for tampering or explosives, which is precisely what happened. Using airport-style security scanners, Hezbollah did indeed check the pagers, but thanks to Mossad's ingenuity, the explosive was not detected.
Now we get to the really interesting part, which is the lengths the Mossad went to create a cover story for their ruse. The PETN battery pack that Mossad constructed had a label on it: LI-BT783, and this was an issue because that specific battery did not exist. The Mossad started by creating a custom model for the entire pager, AR-924. They approached a renowned Taiwanese brand, Gold Apollo, to add it to their catalog.
Hsu Ching-Kuang, the chairman of Gold Apollo, was approached by a former employee and her new boss named "Tom" to inquire about adding the model. Ching-Kuang said that while he wasn't impressed by the AR-924 when he saw it, he agreed to grant a license under the brand and add photos and a description of the product to his company's website, thus unknowingly establishing the legitimacy of the Mossad's pager.
In September 2023, a website named came online with the AR-924 listed as a product. The site was tied to a Hong Kong-based company, Apollo Systems HK, of which no record exists today. In late 2023, two additional online states came online with the LI-BT783 battery listed in their product list, amongst other legitimate units.apollosystemshk.com
Users in two online forums discussing batteries even made posts about the LI-BT783 and the AR-924, praising its "great performance" and ruggedness for field use. When Hezbollah searched for a new pager, their procurement manager chose the AR-924. The salesperson who brokered the deal offered a "very inexpensive proposition" and continued reducing the price until the Hezbollah manager agreed.
In the wake of the explosions, Hezbollah launched an internal probe of what went wrong. However, the senior official leading the investigation, Nabil Kaouk, was himself killed in an Israeli strike just 11 days after the pagers went off. The internal investigation is supposedly still in progress...

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More from @JewishWarrior13

Jun 30
🚨🧵NEW DETAILS OF THE ISRAELI CABINET MEETING: At the beginning of the meeting, the IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir presented the situation, and said in the discussion: “We hold 75% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. A decision is needed to continue the path." The army presented three scenarios:
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2. Negotiating a deal to release hostages—the IDF expressed broad support for this.

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At a certain point, the discussion reached a high tone when National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir remarked to the Chief of Staff and told him, "The IDF's job is to charge ahead."

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Jun 26
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President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu intend to quickly break into new peace agreements with Arab countries, as part of the expansion of the Abraham Accords.
The following principles were agreed upon in general lines:
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Jun 24
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Starting with Iran, they managed to launch approximately 500-550 ballistic missiles and 1000+ drones at Israel, killing 27 Israeli civilians and 1 IDF soldier. Thousands more civilians were injured, and there was massive property damage to hundreds of homes and buildings.
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Jun 22
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The primary reason for the conflict is Iran’s nuclear program. As of today, following numerous Israeli and American strikes, Iran’s nuclear capabilities are at best severely crippled and delayed for many years, and at worst, completely decommissioned. It is irrelevant whether Iran has retained stockpiles of enriched uranium because they are currently unable to use it to create a nuclear bomb. They lack both the necessary facilities and expertise, especially after Israel’s targeted elimination of their nuclear scientists.
I want to briefly address the speculation regarding Iran potentially constructing and deploying a dirty bomb with the remaining nuclear materials they possess. The Iranian regime is many things, but suicidal is not one of them. Detonating a dirty bomb in Israel or the United States would lead to the immediate annihilation of the regime and the end of Iran as we know it. Iran sought nuclear weapons as a deterrent against attacks and as part of a strategy to threaten the West through their proxies—a dirty bomb would accomplish none of these objectives.
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🧵KHAMENEI"S DILEMMA: The NYT, in an interesting expose, detailed how Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei convened Iran's Supreme National Security Council yesterday to discuss a response. According to the report, Khamenei said he wanted revenge, but did not want to act rashly.
During the meeting, there were differences of opinion on how to respond and whether to prepare for a prolonged war, given the severe damage to Iran's air defense system and missile capabilities, and the fear that the United States would also be drawn into the war. One participant warned that if Israel were to attack Iran's energy and water facilities, it could spark widespread internal protests.
During the meeting, Khamenei appeared to be facing an existential question: if he attacks and the war expand, there will be a real danger to the continuation of his rule, and if he shows restraint, this could be interpreted both at home and abroad as a defeat.
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