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Experts View the Exploding-Pager Attack on Hizbullah

(New York Magazine) Jeff Wise - The wave of exploding pagers in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday was a stunning and unexpected blow against Hizbullah. The sheer number of casualties will put a damper on the terrorist group's ability to wage offensive action. Moreover, the move was likely aimed at creating fear and internal suspicion that would more significantly undermine the group's ability to fight. "It promulgates fear," says Dr. Patrick Sullivan, director of the Modern War Institute at West Point. The sudden, simultaneous explosion of thousands of electronic devices is something that has never occurred before and could never be expected; it implies that Israel can strike in ways that are impossible to anticipate, let alone prevent. That may be extremely demoralizing for those on the receiving end. "Israel is demonstrating that it can identify and target members of Hizbullah regardless of their location or position in the organization," said retired Australian Army general Mick Ryan. "When the Israelis do stuff like this, they signal that they're matching [Hizbullah's] level of commitment," Sullivan says, "so there's real informational power in what Israel has done, and that might affect the strategic thinking of not just the terrorist groups but also their supporters in Iran and some of the other Gulf states." Israel made a similar demonstration earlier this year with its targeting of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, whom it blew up using a remote-control bomb it had planted months before inside a heavily guarded guesthouse in Tehran.
2024-09-22 00:00:00
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