Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi praised Israel's strategic move to create a shell company for manufacturing "explosive pagers" intended for Hezbollah as a "masterstroke." Speaking at the Chanakya Defence Dialogues, he emphasized that such actions require extensive preparation and foresight.

"The war does not start the day you start fighting; it begins the moment you start planning," General Dwivedi stated. Israel has recently redirected its military efforts from the Gaza Strip to its northern border with Lebanon, focusing on targeting Hezbollah. This shift included the elimination of Hezbollah's chief, Hassan Nasrallah, along with several senior commanders.

General Dwivedi noted, "Israel made a calculated decision that Hamas was their primary target. After neutralizing Hamas, they then turned their attention to Hezbollah. The establishment of the shell company for the pagers was indeed a masterstroke."

Last month, a series of explosions involving pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members resulted in nearly 40 fatalities and over 3,000 injuries in Lebanon. According to Israeli intelligence sources cited by the New York Times, the shell company responsible for the pagers was created by Mossad, allowing them to rig the devices before shipment.

Experts have termed this operation a "supply chain attack," which entails infiltrating a supplier to embed explosives within the devices.

General Dwivedi also highlighted the importance of vigilance regarding supply chain security, urging India to adopt rigorous inspection protocols at both technological and manual levels. "We must be extremely vigilant about supply chain interruptions and interceptions to prevent similar incidents from occurring in our context," he asserted.