Is Israel preparing a beeper-style surprise for Iran?

Former senior Mossad official Oded Ailam says surprise operations could undermine the Iranian leadership’s morale and trust.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel could launch a surprise operation modeled on the 2024 Hezbollah pager explosions to catch the Iranian regime off guard if hostilities between Jerusalem and Tehran resume, a former senior Israeli intelligence official told the New York Post.

“The bread and butter of Israeli strategy…is surprise twists and turns, unexpected moves and I’m absolutely certain that Israel has cards in the sleeve that will be used,” Oded Ailam, the Mossad intelligence agency’s former deputy head of global operations, told the Post.

“Israel will use its imagination, its intelligence and the ability of the Israelis to surprise and turn the table in ways you cannot anticipate,” he added.

Ailam emphasized that the impact of such an operation on the morale and cohesion of Iran’s senior leadership could be among its most significant effects.

“The effect is enormous, especially on the psychology of the enemy. Imagine after the attack there’s a conversation somewhere in a bunker with the top echelons of Iran and everybody’s looking to the left and to the right and thinking the guy next to him is a spy,” Ailam said.

Former IDF Major General Yaakov Amidror told the Post that Iran’s threat to target critical infrastructure in neighboring countries if hostilities resume could ultimately backfire on the Islamic Republic.

“If the Iranian retaliation will be to destroy or try to destroy energy facilities in the Gulf countries, that would be a good excuse for Israel to destroy the whole energy infrastructure in Iran,” Amidror told the Post.

“This is something that cannot be rebuilt in a few years, this will send Iran back 50 years,” he added.

Ailam and Amidror’s comments come amid heightened tensions in the region, with mixed messages emanating from Washington around the potential for a return to open conflict.