![Israel had a long, partially unclaimed history of assassinations and secret operations before the exploding pagers](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/19/d4db3364-dc51-4779-8ba0-dff9129dc5f5/thumbnail/1200x630g2/d8975232ad5c1a7f1ad9cafe225d04d7/gettyimages-2172200755.jpg?v=159d4576ec63c034c87559bf5085176a)
Israel had a long, partially unclaimed history of assassinations and secret operations before the exploding pagers
CBSN
TEL AVIV, Israel — The recent attacks targeting Hezbollah members with exploding pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon may seem to be the stuff of spy novels, but the impact and implications of the complex operations blamed on Israel are very real. Lebanese officials said at least 30 people were killed and some 3,000 wounded by the explosions, and the chief of Hezbollah acknowledged Thursday that the Iran-backed militant group had taken a serious blow.
The extent of Hezbollah's retaliation for what its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, called an Israeli declaration of war could determine whether there is an actual full-scale war between the two bitter foes.
While Israel has not claimed responsibility, the complex attacks appear to bear the fingerprints of the country's foreign intelligence agency. Below is a look at the Mossad's long, albeit partially unclaimed history of attacking Israel's enemies with everything from car bombs to malware.
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Sydney, Australia — A shark bit and killed a 17-year-old girl swimming off an eastern Australian island on Monday, officials said, in the country's third reported fatal attack in just over five weeks. Paramedics rushed to Woorim Beach in Queensland to treat the teenager, who had sustained serious injuries to her upper body, an ambulance service spokesperson said.
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Tel Aviv — American-Israeli dual national Keith Siegel was among three hostages released by militants in the war-torn Gaza Strip on Saturday, more than 15 months after they were taken captive by Hamas. Siegel was freed in Gaza City about two hours after Israelis Yarden Bibas and Ofer Calderon were released in the southern city of Khan Younis. The Israeli military confirmed Siegel's transfer from militants to Red Cross personnel.
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Six Americans who had been detained in Venezuela in recent months were freed by the government of President Nicolás Maduro after he met Friday with a Trump administration official tasked with urging the authoritarian leader to take back deported migrants who have committed crimes in the United States.