Mossad Director David Barnea on Tuesday night credited the spy agency’s “cunning, courage, and cutting-edge technology” for the stunning September 2024 operations that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and paralyzed the terror group’s command structure.

Barnea spoke at a rare public ceremony where dozens of Mossad operatives — their backs turned to cameras to conceal their identities — were awarded the Israel Defense Prize alongside elite IDF and Shin Bet teams. President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, and other top security officials attended.

A Mossad case officer, identified only as “Agent G,” described the danger operatives faced in Beirut: “During the operation to assassinate Nasrallah, our Mossad agents acted with courage and determination, under fire, in order to provide precise intelligence.” G acknowledged that when the agency first conceived the plan, many thought it was “so ambitious it bordered on fantasy.”

The September 17 beeper explosions — coordinated blasts that killed 3,500 Hezbollah terrorists and officials simultaneously — shattered the group’s internal networks. Ten days later, a precision strike eliminated Nasrallah, effectively dismantling Hezbollah’s command-and-control and gutting its will to fight.

Although the Israel–Hezbollah war dragged on until November 27, Hezbollah inflicted little strategic damage after September. Israeli forces destroyed 70–80 percent of the group’s missile arsenal and dismantled its positions in southern Lebanon during a multi-month invasion.

Herzog used the ceremony to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to turn military victories into a coherent “Day After” political strategy for Gaza, warning that endless fighting could weaken Israel diplomatically and leave the government hostage to extremist coalition partners.

Other honorees received awards for projects that proved decisive during the Swords of Iron War, including: The Eitan APC, developed by the Defense Ministry and IDF, credited with rescuing hundreds of soldiers under fire in Gaza; The Shavit, Eitam, and Oron mission aircraft, built by IAI and the IAF, which provided long-range intelligence and airspace defense; A Shin Bet breakthrough technology enabling deep penetration of enemy infrastructure; Elbit Systems’ classified innovations and the IDF Medical Corps’ pioneering use of whole-blood transfusions, which saved dozens of lives on the battlefield.

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