Defense Minister Israel Katz said the country is not interested in meddling in internal Lebanese politics as Israel has “learned our lessons.”

Summary

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Israel has “defeated Hezbollah” following a series of operations, including the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The campaign included a September attack on Hezbollah communication devices, where thousands of pagers exploded in Beirut, killing 39 and injuring over 3,400.

Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu personally approved the pager attack despite internal opposition.

Israel now hopes an international coalition encourage Lebanon to normalize relations with Israel.

  • eightpix@lemmy.worldEnglish
    412·
    7 days ago

    An indiscriminate attack on an unsuspecting population using planted explosives and does not differentiate between civilians and enemy combatants isn’t a “terrorist attack.”

    What is it then? A “police action”? “Self-defense”?

    From AP

    A booby trap is defined as “any device designed or adapted to kill or injure, and which functions unexpectedly when a person disturbs or approaches an apparently harmless object,” according to Article 7 of a 1996 adaptation of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which Israel has adopted.

    The protocol prohibits booby traps “or other devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects which are specifically designed and constructed to contain explosive material.”

    Now, as far as a legal distinction, the jury is still out. But, morally, this is indefensible to the point of being state-sanctioned terrorism.

    • WhyFlip@lemmy.worldEnglish
      319·
      6 days ago

      It wasn’t indiscriminate. It very discriminately targeted members of Hezbollah. And a device used to coordinate terror attacks, in this case a pager, is no longer a harmless object.

      • leftytighty@slrpnk.netEnglish
        101·
        6 days ago

        if I booby trap something intended for someone else but your son or daughter is in possession of it when it triggers, is that precise?

        How about the fact that this appears to have been an intent to maim (despite also killing children).

        Are these the types of tactics we want to normalize? Or is it just ok when it’s used on brown people.

        Would Russia doing this to Ukraine count as a well executed precise attack? Vice versa?

        • CoCo_Goldstein@lemmy.worldEnglish
          16·
          6 days ago

          Would Russia doing this to Ukraine count as a well executed precise attack?

          If Russia were able to plant mini-bombs into the communication equipment distributed to Ukraine’s armed forces? Yes, it would be described as a well executed, precise attack.

        • WhyFlip@lemmy.worldEnglish
          216·
          6 days ago

          Far more precise than missile strikes… Especially when every single military target is tightly integrated with non-military infrastructure and civilians. And the men and women of Hezbollah (women are always conveniently left out, but are 100% complicit) should know better than to share instruments of terror with their children.

            • WhyFlip@lemmy.worldEnglish
              312·
              6 days ago

              They have mom and dad to thank for that. It’s tragic, but how does one fight an evil embedded with children?

              • leftytighty@slrpnk.netEnglish
                9·
                6 days ago

                When you strike people arbitrarily with booby traps that tends to happen.

                American soldiers go home too, is it ok to blow up their families?

                “Embed with children.” It’s an interesting way to describe being with your civilian family while not actively engaged on the battlefield.

                When soldiers get to board my plane early I’ll be sure to expect it to be shot down, since I’m just a human shield in that scenario.

      • CoCo_Goldstein@lemmy.worldEnglish
        51·
        6 days ago

        Armies world wide often “booby trap” equipment or ammunition that they think will fall into enemy hands.