News: 0175024499

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Walkie-Talkies Explode Across Lebanon in Second Wave After Pager Attack (axios.com)

(Wednesday September 18, 2024 @11:22AM (msmash) from the breaking-news dept.)


An anonymous reader shares a report:

> Israel [1]blew up thousands of two-way personal radios used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon in a second wave of an intelligence operation that started on Tuesday with the [2]explosions of pager devices , two sources with knowledge of the operation told Axios. The second wave of clandestine attacks is another serious security breach in Hezbollah's ranks and increases the pressure on the militant Lebanese group.

>

> Lebanon's official news agency reported that at least three people were killed and dozens wounded in the explosions across the country. The walkie-talkies were booby-trapped in advance by Israeli intelligence services and then delivered to Hezbollah as part of the militia's emergency communications system, which was supposed to be used during a war with Israel, the sources said.



[1] https://www.axios.com/2024/09/18/israel-detonates-hezbollah-walkie-talkies-second-wave-after-pager-attack

[2] https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/09/17/1721229/exploding-pagers-injure-thousands-across-lebanon



We're used to dups... (Score:1)

by Viol8 ( 599362 )

But FFS, the original one is still on the front page!

Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

by Anonymous Coward

That's a story about pagers exploding. The summary as well as TFA here make it clear they are talking about exploding walkie-talkies. The story you're referring to as dupe is even linked to in this story.

Re: (Score:3)

by yakatz ( 1176317 )

Axios says their sources said that the walkie-talkie explosions happened now because the Mossad was worried they would discovered anyway as part of the investigations into the pagers, so in that way they are also connected.

Re: Next thing ... (Score:2)

by haxor.dk ( 463614 )

I read that as "exploding Koreans" for a split second and was "what??!".

BREAKER.....BREAKER... (Score:2)

by cayenne8 ( 626475 )

*BOOM*

Re: (Score:2)

by jenningsthecat ( 1525947 )

> That's a story about pagers exploding. The summary as well as TFA here make it clear they are talking about exploding walkie-talkies.

Makes me wonder how common baby monitors might be in that part of the world...

Re: (Score:2)

by BeepBoopBeep ( 7930446 )

Different devices. They need to explode them all before they find out.

Re: (Score:2)

by xevioso ( 598654 )

Next up:

Exploding car keys

Exploding fobs

Exploding routers

Exploding laptops

Exploding USB cables

Exploding Sim cards

Israel really did a number on these folks here. Regardless of the politics involved or what side you are on, you have to admit this is some pretty impressive fuckery.

Re: We're used to dups... (Score:2)

by haxor.dk ( 463614 )

Next, there'll be exploding cars and exploding people. (Ref: Monty Phyton's "How not to be seen").

Re: (Score:2)

by gweihir ( 88907 )

Oh? And where do you see that? Or maybe you do not know the difference between a "pager" and a "walkie-talkie"?

I'm sure this terrorist attack will calm things (Score:1)

by HBI ( 10338492 )

It always has in the past, hasn't it?

Re: (Score:1)

by Iamthecheese ( 1264298 )

This attack was targeted against the opposing military. That makes it not a terrorist attack.

Re: (Score:1)

by Tablizer ( 95088 )

The boundary between military and general gov't there is fuzzy, so civilian gov't workers got whacked.

Re: (Score:1)

by gweihir ( 88907 )

Alternatively, it can be a war crime. Not any better. Your pick?

Re: (Score:3)

by Whateverthisis ( 7004192 )

While I agree with you, many of the people injured were in the vicinity of these explosions; family members and children of Hezbollah members are injured. So it's not that clean as simply attacking a military target only.

Re: (Score:2)

by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

Soldiers bombarding enemy civilians, who's express openly that the reason for this bombardment is being of wrong protected characteristics under UN Convention of Human Rights nonstop for decades: not valid targets for highly targeted countermeasures, such countermeasures against them are in fact terrorist attacks.

The mind of an anti-Semite is a dogmatic one. The only check it performs is "how do I blame the Jews or their nation for this negative event".

Re: (Score:2)

by gweihir ( 88907 )

Terrorism of this kind is team-work with the "victim". They need each other. And hence when on one side they have political trouble, they rile up the other side to help with that.

Re: (Score:2)

by Whateverthisis ( 7004192 )

To be perfectly frank, it might.

Hezbollah has prided itself on it's secure communications network; they use pagers and 2-way radios to avoid having cell phones hacked. If these pagers they acquired and distributed to their members were tampered with, and the rumors coming out now that they were purchased by Hezbollah from a Taiwanese company and had been intercepted and had explosives installed at Israel's direction if not directly, then it means not only has Hezbollah lost it's most secure method to c

Another reminder (Score:2)

by Rosco P. Coltrane ( 209368 )

of the shame I feel being a member of the human species.

Re: (Score:2)

by jenningsthecat ( 1525947 )

> ... humans are better than this disgusting bullshit.

Ah - a student of history I see!

Re: (Score:2)

by gweihir ( 88907 )

"Alternate history", that is. The "history" you "study" when you do not want to see reality.

Re: (Score:2)

by gweihir ( 88907 )

And why would that be antisemitism? Are you endorsing the murder of children?

Re: (Score:2)

by gweihir ( 88907 )

I have managed to disassociate. But yes, as groups, humans are utter crap.

Re: (Score:2)

by Tablizer ( 95088 )

Can't we carve out the Middle East and have Musk move it to Mars ... or Pluto? (And take Musk with you.)

When you decide to be a dumbfuck terrorist outfit. (Score:2)

by Chas ( 5144 )

You get what's coming to you.

Say auf wiedersehen to your nazi balls!

Re: (Score:2)

by ArchieBunker ( 132337 )

I'm relatively sure setting off several thousand small explosive devices in indiscriminate surroundings is terrorism. Streets, homes, markets, etc etc.

Re: (Score:2)

by cayenne8 ( 626475 )

> I'm relatively sure setting off several thousand small explosive devices in indiscriminate surroundings is terrorism.

Nothing "indiscriminate" here at all...

These are targeted at the tools in the hands of Hezbollah, the terrorist organization, that they have on them to use to communicate with each other.

Quite clever I think....much more targeted than large "dumb" bombs.

Re: (Score:2)

by gweihir ( 88907 )

That, or a war-crime. This is covered neither by the rules of warfare nor by any civilian laws. Oh, and look, there is a 9 years old and an 11 years old child among the victims. Such a noble attack!

Gives new meaning to bombed back to the stone age (Score:2)

by yakatz ( 1176317 )

Mossad: I'm sorry about the pagers. Wait, you thought you could use walkie-talkies instead?

So What Blows Up Next? (Score:2)

by NoWayNoShapeNoForm ( 7060585 )

Door bells?

Motorcycles?

Penguins on top of TV sets?

[1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwTqC2T6q4E

Re: (Score:1)

by Tablizer ( 95088 )

You know there will be lots of copycats, both governments and individuals.

A Youtuber pointed out (Score:1)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

that it would be extremely hard to get these through airport security if they were packed with explosives since explosives leave residue.

But I just don't see how a small lithium battery could do that kind of damage. Last I heard 9 dead and over 100 wounded.

Also, this is all kinds of fucked up. You have no idea where these people could be when the pagers go off. You're setting off a bomb that can and will hit civilians. That's a war crime.

Re: (Score:2)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

Ryan Murphy right? He's usually pretty good but I think he might be off base on this one, nothing in those videos looks like a lithium fire, too reactive and also even overheating a battery is just too unpredictable, no way to guaranatee they would all pop with that type of energy. I think its incontrovertible that this was a supply chain intercept (my theory is this was one of oppurtunity, that the Israelis happened to intercept a shipment of pagers and took advantage of it after figuring out their destin

Re: (Score:2)

by gweihir ( 88907 )

Yes, that aspect puzzles me. Where these shipped by sea or was there collusion by some airline?

I agree on the war crime (or alternatively on terrorism). Stuff like that is not acceptable.

Grocery store and hardware store (Score:2)

by jenningsthecat ( 1525947 )

I bet "two tin cans and a piece of string" is looking pretty good to Hezbollah just about now.

Hire Better Technicians (Score:2)

by Hasaf ( 3744357 )

It is hard for me to believe that none of these devices required any service in their normal, non-explodey, use. It is hard to believe that a, even halfway, decent technician would have failed to notice the "non-battery" looking thing in the radio and pager. It just seems weird to me that on one noticed.

The interest part (Score:2)

by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

The interesting part here is that Party of Allah has failed to pull its existing communications equipment for checks in the wake of first attack. That signals extreme failure of either top command being able to draw conclusions from the first attack, or low level commanders being unable to execute command to do so, or both.

It's starting to seem that either the preceding pager attack critically damaged the command structure of Party of Allah, or alternatively it got complacent in the wake of bombarding North

At this point, Israel (Score:2)

by hdyoung ( 5182939 )

is just dunking on Hezbollah as a pointless flex. Which devices are gonna blow up tomorrow?

Re: (Score:2)

by ArchieBunker ( 132337 )

I'm sure this will lead to a peaceful outcome and put a damper on the fighting.

/s

Re: At this point, Israel (Score:2)

by LindleyF ( 9395567 )

Time to buy a new toaster. Or is it?

There are no good guys here (Score:2)

by ArchieBunker ( 132337 )

There are no good guys or heroes in this fight. This is the rare case of both sides being equally shitty with no end in sight. Jesus himself could show up tomorrow and they'd crucify him a second time for being too liberal. Mohammed wouldn't exactly improve things either.

You want to talk about deficits and spending? Stop giving billions to Israel. We've already funded them to the tune of $158 billion since 1948. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_support_for_Israel_in_the_Israel%E2%80%93Hamas_war#:~:text=Since%20Israel's%20founding%20in%201948,the%20greatest%20recipient%20in%20history

The ring needs another token