Netanyahu admits role in pager attack

Says operation was carried out despite opposition from defence officials

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time admitted that Israel was behind the pager and walkie-talkie attacks on Hezbollah in September that left at least 39 people dead and more than 3,000 injured, local media reports have said.

“The pager operation and the elimination of (Hezbollah leader Hassan) Nasrallah were carried out despite the opposition of senior officials in the defence establishment and those responsible for them in the political echelon,” The Times of Israel newspaper quoted Netanyahu as saying.

Netanyahu’s remarks came during Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, according to Hebrew media reports. Israel had so far not taken responsibility publicly for the attacks, but it was widely speculated that it was behind the complex successfully orchestrated attacks that took the world by surprise.

Thousands of pagers containing explosives exploded on their Hezbollah owners across Lebanon and parts of Syria on September 16. While the world was still absorbing the news of pager explosions, walkie-talkies met the same fate a day later on September 17, shocking the world at the level of Israeli intelligence’s preparation in its war against the Lebanese militia.

Fans told to skip football match

Israel has urged fans to avoid Thursday’s France-Israel football tie, which authorities fear could become a flashpoint following violence in Amsterdam surrounding a match involving an Israeli team. Despite a large police presence and the expected attendance of French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli officials on Sunday warned fans to stay away because of fears they could be targeted. A right-wing Jewish group has nevertheless announced a rally ahead of the Nations League tie. 

Israeli strike kills three in central Gaza

Palestinian medical officials say an Israeli strike hit a tent sheltering a displaced family in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least three people, including the parents of twins. The strike late on Sunday in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp wounded the two children, aged 10, who were being treated for serious injuries at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah.

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