Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say • Hacker News Board

Re: Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say

#241

Post by MPSimmons » Wed, Sep 18, 2024, 3:54 PM UTC

ivan_gammel wrote: post #133

fortran77 wrote: post #113

I've seen photos posted on X and Telegram (of course I can't verify) of what look like Baofeng and Icom UHF hand-helds that have detonated. Not sure how they can get them to all blow up in unison--these aren't devices that can receive a digital message--as they apparently did at a funeral today.

They could receive a radio broadcast.

Given apparently(?) none of them detonated prematurely, the arming device would need to be content aware so that a normal transmission didn't set them off randomly and warn the rest of the targets that the devices were compromised.

Re: Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say

#242

Post by 2OEH8eoCRo0 » Wed, Sep 18, 2024, 3:54 PM UTC

Arch485 wrote: post #192

I'm genuinely curious: how is this not considered terrorism on Israel's part? (or is it considered terrorism?) From a tactical standpoint, this is very similar, and the only big difference I see is that this is technologically more advanced/more complex than just planting a bomb or something. If it's not terrorism, what is the differentiating factor(s)? *side note: I'm quite sure other western countries have used tac…

The difference is the target. Targeting non-combatants would make it terrorism. Hezbollah aren't non-combatants.

Re: Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say

#243

Post by frankie_t » Wed, Sep 18, 2024, 3:54 PM UTC

knlam wrote: post #124

In the other thread, HN said Israel can only pull this trick only once and they just did it the second time

I guess it could still be considered the same one, just the continuation of it. I was kind of expecting a ground invasion after such havoc in communications has been wrecked. I guess if the "electronic" attack is still going on, maybe something else will still proceed...

Re: Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say

#244

Post by N_A_T_E » Wed, Sep 18, 2024, 3:55 PM UTC

ivan_gammel wrote: post #220

kvgr wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

It is terrorism if the attack is planned in such a way, where innocent people will suffer with very high probability and nothing is done to prevent that.

It's terrorism if non-combatants are the target. These attacks targeted combatants who were being sent information to conduct combat through the very same devices that exploded.

Re: Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say

#245

Post by pdyc » Wed, Sep 18, 2024, 3:55 PM UTC

Arch485 wrote: post #192

I'm genuinely curious: how is this not considered terrorism on Israel's part? (or is it considered terrorism?) From a tactical standpoint, this is very similar, and the only big difference I see is that this is technologically more advanced/more complex than just planting a bomb or something. If it's not terrorism, what is the differentiating factor(s)? *side note: I'm quite sure other western countries have used tac…

i am wondering what is state doing with parallel non state actor hezbollah? how is the lebanan state allowing non state actor to wage wars with foreign nations on its behalf?

Re: Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say

#246

Post by tptacek » Wed, Sep 18, 2024, 3:55 PM UTC

mrtksn wrote: post #217

tptacek wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Under International Humanitarian Law it absolutely does make it OK if the owner of the phone is a militant. This is black letter Law of Armed Combat.

Most people are not judges in the international court of justice. The legal technicalities are irrelevant.

I don't know what that is supposed to mean. There are norms of warfare and these attacks fall within them.

Re: Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say

#247

Post by yunohn » Wed, Sep 18, 2024, 3:55 PM UTC

ivan_gammel wrote: post #220

kvgr wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

It is terrorism if the attack is planned in such a way, where innocent people will suffer with very high probability and nothing is done to prevent that.

So literally all of the USA’s drone killings in the Middle East are terrorism? I’m ok with that definition.

Re: Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say

#248

Post by ianburrell » Wed, Sep 18, 2024, 3:55 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #69

clueless wrote: post #66

so how does one verify that the battery in their iphone doesn't contain explosives?

The supply chain for an iPhone is much stronger than for a Gold Alpha pager, and it's likely that the same thing will end up being true of these ICOM radios: they'll turn out to be designed and branded by ICOM, but actually manufactured and distributed by some random Eastern European outfit that paid to use ICOM as a skinsuit. That would never happen with an Apple device.

It is likely that they were authentic Icom devices. My understanding is that it is common for commercial radios to be programmed by distributor. Or Gold Alpha gave a good deal on pagers and radios and then were intercepted from warehouse.

I don't think Icom would ever put name on generic radio, they make all their radios in Japan. It is like Toyota putting name on another car.

Re: Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say

#249

Post by newspaper1 » Wed, Sep 18, 2024, 3:55 PM UTC

omginternets wrote: post #235

Arch485 wrote: post #192

I'm genuinely curious: how is this not considered terrorism on Israel's part? (or is it considered terrorism?) From a tactical standpoint, this is very similar, and the only big difference I see is that this is technologically more advanced/more complex than just planting a bomb or something. If it's not terrorism, what is the differentiating factor(s)? *side note: I'm quite sure other western countries have used tac…

The argument is that the IDF is targeting enemy combatants, and not deliberately targeting civilians (unlike, e.g. Hamas). The existence of non-combatant casualties alone does not imply terrorism.

The IDF has killed orders of magnitude more civilians than Hamas.

Re: Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say

#250

Post by hedgehog » Wed, Sep 18, 2024, 3:55 PM UTC

xenospn wrote: post #139

Qem wrote: post #28

The original pager attack was triggered in the anniversary of World War II hero Folke Bernadotte assassination by Zionists, on September 17. See https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-... I wonder if this was meaningful choice, or just a coincidence.

Confidence for sure. I grew up in Israel and never heard of this anniversary.

Countries often scrub their history books of things they're not proud of. I grew up in the US and not once was the 1921 Tulsa massacre covered in school.