Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday admitted responsibility for the first time for the mass pager explosions that rocked Lebanon nearly two months ago.
At least 26 people were killed and over 3,200 others injured when thousands of pager devices exploded in several areas across Lebanon on Sept. 17 and 18.
“There were senior officials in the defense establishment and the political echelon in charge of them who opposed the pager operation, as well as [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah’s elimination,”
Netanyahu said during a Cabinet meeting on Sunday as cited by Israeli Channel 12.
"Before the pager operation, they told me that the US would oppose it, but I did not listen to them,” he added.
This was the first time a high-ranking Israeli official has publicly admitted responsibility for the mass explosions of the wireless communication devices in Lebanon.
Nasrallah was assassinated in Israeli airstrikes in southern Beirut on Sept. 27.