Israeli–Palestinian conflict

[David]

Most people in this country would take a contrary view.

Hezbollah is at war with Israel. They are doing Iran's bidding, lobbing missiles into northern Israel from Lebanon, causing the evacuation of tens of thousands of Israelis. How could Israel respond? By bombing the sites from which the missiles were launched? That's most likely from schools, hospitals, civilian residential areas etc so that if Israel responded in the traditional manner you would be whinging that they are targeting civilians. So, Israel have quite cleverly targeted the exact people that they wanted to target.There have been others injured, but in wars, that has and always will happen. To follow it up the next day with the exploding walkie talkies was brilliant. Much better than the Castro/exploding cigar plan.

You can defend terrorism as a tactic if you like, but call a spade a spade – the goal and outcome is to spread fear and panic among the population by making public space unsafe, and the randomness of the attack serves that goal. We know that children have been killed, and I'd be very surprised if the majority of people killed or injured were actually Hezbollah operatives as opposed to civilians.

[Durka]

Random? It was targeted and specific, with very small quantities of explosives used. There was no need for Michael Caine to say "you were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off". The goal and outcome was to kill, maim and hurt Hezbollah. That's what happened. They would've sustained hand or facial injuries, or perhaps had their nuts blown off.Kudos to Mossad.

Explain to me why you believe that Hezbollah would order a mass of pagers, then hand them out to civilians?

[David]

One of the people who died was a ten-year-old girl. Do you think she was a Hezbollah operative?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... er-attacks
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/1 ... aws-of-war

From the Al Jazeera link:

While Hezbollah has a military wing that has been engaged in cross-border clashes with Israel since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October of last year, it is also a political group with affiliated organisations that provide social services.

Some of the blasts struck members of Hezbollah who are not combatants, according to Lebanese media accounts. For example, Tuesday’s attack killed a medic who worked at Al Rassoul Al Azam Hospital, which is linked to Hezbollah-associated charities.

Arraf said civil servants are to be treated as civilians under IHL unless they are known to partake in military operations. “Would anyone suggest that all Israelis who are affiliated with one of the parties in Israel’s government are legitimate targets?”

[stui magpie]

I'm with @Durka on this, it was utterly brilliant by Israel. Don't fvck with Mossad. This is Spy Fiction novel stuff.

Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation. Their senior members decided to forgo using mobile phones because Mossad could track them and even potentially intercept them, so decided to go for the low tech option in pagers. Mossad managed to spike them. As only Hezbollah members would be carrying them, not ordinary citizens, this was a clearly targeted attack.

Nearly 3000 wounded, I wonder how many of them had their balls blown off?

Then the next day, we have exploding walkie talkies.

Absolutely brilliant. Not only do they injure 3000 of Hezbollah's operatives but put a serious crimp in their internal communications. They can't use mobile phones and now they will be very reluctant to use pagers or any other tech that Mossad could get to. With so many operatives incapacitated and their communications channels sodomised, I'd be expecting Israel to strike at them while they're in disarray.

[Magpietothemax]

^ So now Stui, you are celebrating terrorism. Because this is nothing but pure, unadulterated terrorism.
If Hamas is a terrorist organisation, then the Israeli government is as well.
Your incredible bias, which exonerates everything that the israeli government does, and enjoying the deaths and maiming of thousands of Lebanese people, many of whom are not members of Hezbollah's armed forces, is sickening.

[Magpietothemax]

I think i remember predicting a month or two ago on this thread that Israel was hell bent on spreading the genocide in Gaza into a full blown war against Lebanon. Several here, predictably, ridiculed this prediction.
Yet now it is playing out before our eyes.
Acting at the behest of its backers in the US Administration, the Israeli government is now attempting to provoke a full blown war against Lebanon. This is the meaning of "shifting the centre of gravity north"", as declared by Israeli defence minister Gallant.
The Israelis have now reached the stage where they can shift substantial forces north because the population in Gaza is now starving to death, and it doesn't require many soldiers to control a starving population.
By carrying out terrorist, indiscriminate bombings against thousands of innocent people across Lebanon, the Israeli government is striving to force Hezbollah into open war. Israel is confident, because the US will back whatever war crime, whatever horror, the IDF decides to carry out...including perhaps the detonation of a "small nuclear weapon"'.
To understand this war,and to find a perspective for opposing it, visit: wsws.org

[stui magpie]

^ So now Stui, you are celebrating terrorism. Because this is nothing but pure, unadulterated terrorism.
If Hamas is a terrorist organisation, then the Israeli government is as well.
Your incredible bias, which exonerates everything that the israeli government does, and enjoying the deaths and maiming of thousands of Lebanese people, many of whom are not members of Hezbollah's armed forces, is sickening.

I'm not celebrating terrorism, I'm celebrating a very successful anti-terrorist strike on a terrorist organisation.

The pagers were supplied to Hezbollah operatives. If some of them were in the hands of others at the time they exploded, that's unfortunate but overall it was an extremely surgical and effective strike against Hezbollah's leadership and at their internal communications infrastructure, which will make it extremely difficult for them to coordinate any terrorist actions against Israel in the short to medium term.

[Durka]

^ So now Stui, you are celebrating terrorism. Because this is nothing but pure, unadulterated terrorism.
If Hamas is a terrorist organisation, then the Israeli government is as well.
Your incredible bias, which exonerates everything that the israeli government does, and enjoying the deaths and maiming of thousands of Lebanese people, many of whom are not members of Hezbollah's armed forces, is sickening.

If you were a couple of generations older you would have been moaning about the USA being terrorists because they shot at the Zeros over Pearl Harbour and took part in the D Day landings.

[Durka]

Nearly 3000 wounded, I wonder how many of them had their balls blown off?

From the river to the sea,
Now they can't even pee.

[Culprit]

Brilliant plan by Israel. This will have a major mental impact as using electronic devices will be cautiously treated. The Terrorists may have to go back to Homing Pigeons. I find it strange how Israel should fight by the rules but the Terrorists can do as they please. Now some are suggesting it's a war crime as children have been killed. No doubt the paid protest movement will be out again infringing on everyone else's rights as they use their rights to protest.

[stui magpie]

Nearly 3000 wounded, I wonder how many of them had their balls blown off?

From the river to the sea,
Now they can't even pee.

Fresh crop of Eunuchs to guard the harem

[think positive]

it was very damn clever

[Magpietothemax]

Brilliant plan by Israel. This will have a major mental impact as using electronic devices will be cautiously treated. The Terrorists may have to go back to Homing Pigeons. I find it strange how Israel should fight by the rules but the Terrorists can do as they please. Now some are suggesting it's a war crime as children have been killed. No doubt the paid protest movement will be out again infringing on everyone else's rights as they use their rights to protest.

If Israel doesn't play by the rules, as you just acknowledged, then the Israeli government is also a terrorist organisation.

[Magpietothemax]

it was very **** clever

Sure, it was a "very clever" act of terrorism.

[stui magpie]

*
Counter terrorism.

Terrorism is targeted at a civilian population, this was targeted at operatives of a terrorist organisation. The difference is pretty clear to anyone who isn't hopelessly biased or anti semitic or both.