The “Red Button” Scheme.. The Washington Post reveals details of the Israeli pager attack in Lebanon

The Washington Post said that the attack with devices Pager The radios that exploded in Lebanon last week now hold clues to how Israel orchestrated what current and former Israeli and Western officials say was part of an elaborate, decade-long effort to infiltrate Hezbollah.

The newspaper reported that marks on the torn electronic components left a trail leading through a factory in Taiwan to a shell company in Hungary that was set up or exploited by Israeli intelligence to hide its alleged role in delivering the deadly devices to Hezbollah. Security officials in another European capital are investigating whether another shell company was the real seller in the pager deal.

Current and former officials described it as part of a multi-pronged effort by Israel over the past decade to develop what officials refer to as a “red button” capability, meaning a potentially devastating attack that could lie dormant for months if not years before being activated.

The Washington Post says that it remains unclear why Israel pressed the “red button” at this time, although experts speculate that Israeli officials were concerned about the risk of discovering that thousands of pagers had been converted into small explosive devices. Officials say such attacks are generally designed to be launched as a prelude to a broader offensive, sowing chaos in preparation for subsequent military operations.

The Washington Post quoted a former Israeli official familiar with the pager operation as saying that the red button was understood as something you could use when you wanted or needed it. The detonation of the devices this week was not a comprehensive plan that was put in place when the operation began, but he stressed that Israeli officials believed it would have a significant impact.

“Look at the result,” the official continued, referring to the bombings that injured and killed civilians, overwhelmed hospitals, and rendered Hezbollah operatives unable to use or trust basic communications equipment.