Israel executed a covert operation on Tuesday, detonating pager devices carried by Hezbollah members in Lebanon and Syria, reportedly out of fear that its secret operation had been compromised, according to three U.S. officials cited by Axios. The decision was driven by concerns that the plan could be exposed, prompting Israel to act quickly.

"It was a use it or lose it moment," explained one U.S. official, summarizing Israel's rationale for the timing of the strike.

The pagers, which had been covertly "planted" within Hezbollah’s ranks by Israeli intelligence services, were originally intended as a surprise opening move in the event of an all-out war, a former Israeli official with knowledge of the operation told Axios.

The goal was to severely weaken Hezbollah’s command and control structure. However, recent developments raised suspicions within Hezbollah, pushing Israel to activate the devices sooner than planned.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with senior ministers and military leaders, made the decision to launch the operation, fearing that Hezbollah operatives might uncover the hidden devices. 

This urgency led to a critical meeting on Monday, as U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel. During the visit, Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and other top officials engaged in extensive security discussions about the risk of the operation being compromised. Despite the high-level consultations, they refrained from informing Hochstein about the unfolding situation, a U.S. official said.

Shortly before the pagers were detonated across Lebanon on Tuesday, Gallant called U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, notifying him of an imminent Israeli operation in Lebanon, though he provided no specific details. According to a U.S. official, this call was an attempt to avoid keeping the U.S. totally in the dark.