The world is discussing Israel’s cyber-attack on Hezbollah members, in which more than 9 people were killed while leaving 3,000 people injured. Such a unique attack is probably the first in warfare as it affected thousands of people. It is also a good example of how electronic devices can be converted into bombs. What is not surprising is that the perpetrator is Israel, which is far ahead of many countries in cyber-attacks and theft. Above all, it shows the capabilities of Israel’s intelligence service which continuously seeks crafty ways to eliminate its enemies. Several conclusions can be reached from the attack.
Firstly, we should clarify that it is an intelligence operation rather than a cyber-attack. News reports reveal that Israeli spies implanted 2 ounces (56.7 grams) of an explosive called PETN into pagers while the devices were being assembled in a factory located in Taiwan. There seems to be collaboration between the Israelis and the device producers as implantation would not be possible without a third party’s assistance. The fact that the device brand (Gold Apollo) is allegedly owned by an American or a European company shows that the accomplices were of Western origin.
We should also remember that a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut port exploded in 2020, causing more than 200 deaths. Since this substance is used as bomb material, it is highly likely that the explosion was perpetrated again by a secret Israeli attack. Therefore, both attacks show that Israel is monitoring what Hezbollah buys and destroying them with premeditated measures.
Another detail is that employees of the American University Medical Center in Beirut received an email, noting that their old pagers would be replaced with new ones. Thus, the U.S. got involved in the attack or they were informed for their safety long before. Unfortunately, the U.S. is complicit in almost every Israeli attack through its relentless support. We can believe that any Israeli attack is conducted with American assistance.
On the other hand, Hezbollah’s being the target does not change our views about this group. It is an Iranian proxy, which kills innocent people (see what they did in Syria), thus being the victim does not change it's being a bloody organization. In addition, Israel’s attack amplifies our view that it is a terrorist state and has no limits in committing crimes. We are already eye-witnessing the genocide in Gaza where Israeli terrorism has killed more than 41,000 people within less than a year. The genocide continues and the perpetrators look for new opportunities to expand it into neighboring states.
Meanwhile, there are lessons learned from the Israeli attack on Hezbollah via pagers. Other intelligence services and armies now have the chance to learn what the Israeli security forces are capable of. Probably, governments will take precautions in order not to incur similar cyber-attacks since everyone, from ordinary citizens to top officials, are convinced that electronic devices, particularly mobile phones and computers, have the potential to kill or wound people via remote commands. Therefore, the latest attack will compel officials to protect their people and electronic assets including critical ones such as aircraft, missiles and ships. Hence, it can be said that evil can turn into goodness provided that precautions are taken. In addition, western governments' silence about the attack and the pro-Israeli stance of their media should be noticed. As expected, their news reports refrained from mentioning Israel being the perpetrator. They also ignored civilian damage and with an Islamophobic and xenophobic tone wrote as if all those targeted were Hezbollah members. Whereas, if Hezbollah had attacked Israel with the same method, their stories would be full of lament, almost crying for the victims.
Overall, Israel’s cyber attack on Hezbollah will be remembered in the upcoming years due to its capacity to change the course of fighting. For sure, armies, and even terrorist groups, will be inspired by the Sept. 17 pager attack whether for benign or malign purposes. Finally, as long as the conflict continues, we may witness new Israeli tactics that surprise us.
