There are many who exclaim: “Wow, that Israel succeeded in something like this”.
But it is not a movie with special effects but full reality with real people who are affected.
Let’s look past the sci-fi chain attack on Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon.
What will be the consequences?
A string of pagers explodes in Lebanon. It’s spectacular, it hurts people, and it shakes Hezbollah’s confidence in its communications and intelligence capabilities.
It is of course no coincidence that it is happening just after many warning lights have flashed that the war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah is about to escalate.
Silence from Israel
At the moment, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied, but that is nothing unusual. They have a habit of not commenting on attacks, except when they deny it. So far, there has been no denial from either the Israeli military, intelligence or government. Most suggest that it is Israel’s intelligence service Mossad that directed the attack in Lebanon on Tuesday, but of course other actors cannot be ruled out.
Regardless, this spectacular attack will have consequences.
If Israel is behind the attack, it could be the first step in a wider offensive. Knocking out the opponent’s ability to communicate is quite basic and effective in front of the big drum. It can also be a more provocative attack to show its capabilities.
Regardless, Hezbollah will respond eventually. It is a given and their target will be Israel or Israeli targets. Of course, they can get help from other countries in the region and once again the fears of a larger regional war are growing. But the greatest danger is the method used in the Lebanon attack.
Dirty warfare
Attacking the opponents via pagers that may have changed hands, be at a children’s party, a football match or a market, is nothing but dirty warfare. It is absolutely impossible to control who is actually affected. Similar ugly methods have been used by others in the region but in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel right now, it is new. And a method that gives the green light to use really ugly tricks in the future. Car bombs, magnetic bombs, suicide attacks, hostage situations. The possibilities are many, but they all have one thing in common: it is above all civilians who are affected.