The tactics authorized by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "do what is necessary" to protect its north may be closer to terrorism than military action that respects International Humanitarian Law.
Saša Petricic reporting for CBC News asks “By bruising and humiliating Hezbollah, is Israel playing 'Middle East roulette?'”
In recent days, Israel has made subduing Hezbollah an official war goal — right alongside winning the conflict with Hamas in Gaza — with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israel would "do what is necessary" to protect its north. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. officials this week that means "military action."
In the hours after the pager attacks, Israel moved its large 98th Division from fighting in Gaza to the northern border. The military vows to return more than 60,000 Israelis to their homes in border communities after a safety evacuation that has lasted since fighting began after Oct. 7.
But many others worry it brings little relief, just more danger from all sides.
"At a time when Netanyahu was promising the Israeli public until not very long ago that we are just a small step from total victory over Hamas, now it seems we are closer than ever to a large-scale war with Hezbollah, too," wrote Haaretz columnist Amos Harel on Wednesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is working to avoid that, leading a so-far unsuccessful diplomatic push for a ceasefire in Gaza and de-escalation in the north.
"It's imperative that everyone avoid taking steps that could further escalate or spread the conflict," he warned in a Cairo news conference when asked about the pager attack, stressing that Washington was not consulted or told about it in advance.
"It's fairly obvious that Israel did this," Ben Rhodes, a former national security adviser to former president Barack Obama, told the BBC. "This is not what the U.S. wanted."
As a result, Israel may be playing "Middle East roulette," Beirut journalist and author Kim Ghattas said in a BBC interview. "You keep pushing further and further until you actually do ignite a regional war."
Israel's president Isaac Herzog spoke to Sky News this morning, where he rejected Israel had "any connection" to this week's exploding pager attack in Lebanon. He also spoke of Israel's "disappointment" with the British government over its decision to suspend arms export licences. (Petricic, n.d.)
Alistair Bunkall, Middle East correspondent for Sky News reports that President Herzog's outright denial that Israel was behind the attacks on Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies goes further than the official Israel government response which, so far, has been to say nothing at all.
It's not unusual for Israel to remain silent after major attacks on its enemies, and guilt is generally assumed by the absence of comment, but Herzog was definitive, saying he "rejects out of hand any connection to this or that source of operation".
That doesn't square with background conversations I've had with political and security officials here in recent days.
Admittedly no-one has confessed outright, however discussion of the attacks and the potential consequences, are generally framed by a metaphorical nod and wink, and conversations had proceeded along the lines of 'we all know what happened, even if we’re going to dance around it'.
Herzog might be right to suggest Hezbollah has other enemies, but aside from the US, which has repeatedly denied even knowing about the attacks ahead of time, I can not think of another state that would have the capability, will and purpose to carry out those attacks.
As one serving western intelligence official remarked to me a few days ago, "none of us would dare do it because of the collateral damage".
No one, not even Israel, has come up with an alternative culprit.
The timing of the attacks, were it not Israel, are too coincidental.
'Disappointment' in Israel over UK
Mr Herzog was asked if he is disappointed in the way that the British government has acted in the last few weeks towards Israel.
The UK has suspended arms export licences to the country for use in military operations in Gaza, following a review of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law. (Wyatt, 2024)
Madeleine Hall writing in Jacobin comments that the rigging of pagers and other electronics that has wounded over 3,000 people in Lebanon is neither “precise” nor “sophisticated.” It is barbaric and it is terrorism.
“Israel has neither confirmed nor denied any role in the explosions,” the New York Times reported, “but 12 current and former defense and intelligence officials who were briefed on the attack say the Israelis were behind it, describing the operation as complex and long in the making.”
Cars and apartments were set alight and hospitals overwhelmed with thousands of casualties. Because the devices in question began beeping repeatedly before they exploded, many victims were holding them close to their faces when they detonated, causing horrifying injuries.
Much of the mainstream Western media has marveled at the so-called “precision” and “sophistication” of the attack, framing it as an operation intended only to target members of Hezbollah. This is patently false, as numerous civilians have been injured and killed.
Israel’s real aim was clear: to stoke fear and mass panic among an entire population. During the second attack on Wednesday, explosions could be heard during the funeral of four people killed the previous day. Unconfirmed reports indicated that solar panels and ATMs detonated during the attacks, too. People across Lebanon have said they are afraid to use any electronic devices.
There’s a word for this: terrorism. (Hall, n.d.)
The Unpacked for Educators website asks Should the IDF Be Held to a Higher Moral Standard?
Today’s armies are subject to international humanitarian law, national pressure and public scrutiny. Yet they must also uphold themselves to their own specific ethical and moral codes.
For decades, Israel’s military, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), has fought for the state’s very existence. Over time, many of Israel’s enemies have moved beyond the traditional battlefield and brokered for peace…or political warfare.
Enemies like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah have tested the IDF’s morality by using unethical tactics beyond the accepted principles of warfare, putting innocent human lives at risk. Israel’s position is that until Israel’s enemies hold themselves to a higher moral code, the IDF will remain prepared and armed to defend Israel from constant threat while striving to maintain its own ethical code.
Big Ideas
Asymmetric warfare, particularly with terrorist groups, challenges the IDF's ability to maintain ethical codes and purity of arms.
The IDF often takes steps to limit civilian casualties, as opposed to Hamas and Hezbollah, who purposely place civilians in harm's way. (Should the IDF Be Held to a Higher Moral Standard?, n.d.)
Hussein Ibish, Arab Gulf States Institute, defines Hamas in this way:
A millenarian group, apocalyptic, believing a divine mandate with a religious imperative.(CBC the Current Oct16, 2023)
In the necessary effort to protect the people of Israel from attacks by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, the IDF has the resources and expertise to achieve the goal of protection without lowering its ethical codes to that of the enemy and disrespecting the principles of International Humanitarian Law, particularly in the aspects of distinction and proportionality.
References
Hall, M. (n.d.). Israel’s Beeper Attacks Are Terrorism. Jacobin. Retrieved September 22, 2024, from https://jacobin.com/2024/09/lebanon-israel-beeper-attacks-terrorism
Petricic, S. (n.d.). By bruising and humiliating Hezbollah, is Israel playing 'Middle East roulette? CBC News. Retrieved September 22, 2024, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/
Should the IDF Be Held to a Higher Moral Standard? (n.d.). Unpacked for Educators • The Best of Jewish and Israel Education. Retrieved September 22, 2024, from https://unpacked.education/video/should-the-idf-be-held-to-a-higher-moral-standard/
Wyatt, M. (2024, September 22). Middle East latest: Hezbollah now in 'open-ended battle of reckoning' with Israel, deputy leader says. Sky News. Retrieved September 22, 2024, from https://news.sky.com/story/israel-lebanon-pager-walkie-talkie-explosions-middle-east-crisis-hezbollah-hamas-gaza-war-latest-sky-news-live-blog-12978800
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