It’s been two days of mayhem in Lebanon. On Tuesday, thousands of pagers exploded across the country, killing at least 12 people, including children, and injuring thousands. The target was Hezbollah fighters, but medics and civilians also became victims. As the country was mourning the dead, walkie-talkies started detonating on Wednesday. The fresh attack killed at least 20 and left 450 injured.

Who is behind this covert campaign? Lebanon, Hezbollah, and its sympathisers like Iran blame Israel. The Jewish nation has refused to comment on the explosions, which reports say have been part of a joint operation between the Israeli military and the spy agency Mossad. In the spotlight is Israel’s Unit 8200.

The elite group of highly skilled soldiers was reportedly involved in the development phase of the Lebanon attack. It played a key role in embedding explosives into pagers ordered by Hezbollah, reports Reuters.

What is Israel’s Unit 8200?

Unit 8200 is often likened to the US National Security Agency (NSA) or Britain’s GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters). The largest military unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the group traces its roots to Shim Min 2, established in the 1930s under the British Mandate, which was entrusted with the administration of the Land of Israel. It later evolved into codebreaking and intel units, which were formed at the birth of Israel in 1948. At first, the electronic warfare unit was called Unit 515 and later on 848.

A big turning point came after the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the intelligence failure, this group highlighted. This led to an overhaul of the unit and it was renamed 8200.

Today, it is one of the most secretive and sophisticated units of the IDF. It’s known for conducting high-profile intelligence operations and cyber warfare. The elite unit specialises in data mining, cyber warfare, and intelligence gathering. It has executed several ops, from countering terrorist threats to launching cyberattacks. It works closely with the US NSA and comprises 5,000 soldiers on active duty.

How are personnel recruited?

Unit 8200 is said to recruit some of the brightest personnel in Israel – those who can think out of the box.

Screening for the unit starts during high school in the form of state and private programmes for young talent. Selection requires a psychometric test, rigorous interviews, and education skills. The training is rigorous – it includes everything from communication to electrical engineering and Arabic language skills, according to an analysis by the Centre for Security Studies (CSS). Apart from technical proficiency, there is an emphasis on learning quickly and thinking critically.

Once recruited, young soldiers are trained to handle complex covert tasks such as hacking, encryption and surveillance. They are trained to intercept all forms of communication and detect threats. These soldiers then pride themselves on their technical expertise and innovation.

Former members say the unit’s culture resembles that of a startup with small teams working on problems with an unusual degree of freedom that is designed to foster creativity.

The unit is considered by many as an incubator for future very successful cybersecurity startups, technology venture capitalists, and cybersecurity experts, says the CSS report.

Alumni of Unit 8200 have played a big role in Israel’s high-tech industry boom. They founded companies like Orca Security and many have gone on to become millionaires.

What are the operations undertaken by Unit 8200?

Unit 8200 has conducted several intelligence and defensive operations across cyberspace. It was involved in the 2005-2010 Stutnext virus attack which disabled Iranian nuclear centrifuges.

In 2007, it was part of Operation Orchard, also known as Operation Out of the Box. Israeli fighter jets destroyed a mysterious complex in the Syrian desert, which some reports suggest was a nuclear facility. However, the Israeli military claimed back then that this incident never occurred and the US said it heard “second-hand reports” which contradict each other.

The unit also played a role in Operation Full Disclosure in 2017, where the IDF captured an Iranian ship carrying weapons. Sources say the shipment was headed for militants in Gaza or Sinai. In the same year, the group was involved in a cyberattack on Lebanon’s state telecoms company Ogero.