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From the reports that are emerging, this would seem to have been in the planning stage in some form for at least the last two years.
The theory that there was around there thousands of batteries rigged with explosive is absurd. Why would you expose the general public to such risks for an indefinite period of time? Visualize those pagers at airports, in flight close to you etc... That would be stupid.
And the moment Hezbollah figures out how to duplicate this, then no more laptops, phones, or battery powered devices on airline flights.... Ever.Perhaps another special plastic coating was used in the pagers to hide the explosives well enough to avoid detection by the customs while being imported by Lebanon.
"Oh, really, KGB? You mind if we give them an explosive present?"
(either in their batteries or inside integrated circuits or larger components), or within the walkie-talkie batteries.
Not only them. Also car batteries. Household appliances.There are now reports of home energy solar systems going bang....
And are the actions of Hamas/Hezbollah per the "laws of war"? Certainly not and Israel cannot fight them in a army vs. army sense as we have seen thru history. Can't see faulting them for taking an approach that targets the leadership and wipes out communciations at the same time. October 7th was not targeted at the military so where is the outrage at what was done on that day and with the hostages since then?Lots of people talking about the technology and how clever an attack it was.
But was it?
3000 explosions randomly scattered around a country is not an attack pattern consistent with the laws of war. There was no capability to determine who else was in the blast radius or otherwise likely to be endangered and whether they were civilians.
Mossad has staged technologically clever attacks before, but they've almost always been specifically targeted at a target few people will object to. That isn't true here and people outside Israel aren't going to remember "two hezbollah fighters killed", they're going to remember "young girl killed".
Israel is losing the PR war, and it's doing it to itself.
US special ops official lays out 'strategic' reason for Israel to better protect civilians - Breaking Defense
Chris Maier, assistant secretary of defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, said how the Israeli military operates "has concerned us at times."breakingdefense.com
What made terrorism profitable was the lack of reaction by the US and French governments to the massacre of their soldiers in 1983.And are the actions of Hamas/Hezbollah per the "laws of war"? Certainly not and Israel cannot fight them in a army vs. army sense as we have seen thru history. Can't see faulting them for taking an approach that targets the leadership and wipes out communciations at the same time. October 7th was not targeted at the military so where is the outrage at what was done on that day and with the hostages since then?
Mark
On Tuesday afternoon, explosions wrang out across Lebanon as thousands of pagers carried by operatives of the militant group Hezbollah detonated in what now appears to be a concerted attack mounted by Israeli forces. According to Lebanon’s health minister, at least 12 people are confirmed dead with at least 3,000 more reportedly injured in the attack, though thus far, Israel has not claimed responsibility for what may be the most unprecedented counter-terror operation in modern history.
A second attack reportedly followed on Wednesday, this time, with hand-held radios apparently exploding in a similar fashion.
How was any of this possible? Let's see what we can find out.
Just wait for exploding carrier pigions...
Were did I even imply that I wasn't outraged by that? Or is Israel immune from criticism, no matter how egregious their conduct?And are the actions of Hamas/Hezbollah per the "laws of war"? Certainly not and Israel cannot fight them in a army vs. army sense as we have seen thru history. Can't see faulting them for taking an approach that targets the leadership and wipes out communciations at the same time. October 7th was not targeted at the military so where is the outrage at what was done on that day and with the hostages since then?
Mark
The theory that there was around there thousands of batteries rigged with explosive is absurd. Why would you expose the general public to such risks for an indefinite period of time? Visualize those pagers at airports, in flight with someone seated close to you etc...
The pager batteries are very small, on the order of 500mAh, while modern smartphones are 3000-5000mAh. This must have been an added explosive."Contrary to initial assumptions, it was not the pager batteries that caused the explosions, but the lithium within them that caused the detonation."
Lithium is nasty stuff, and lithium battery fires are a growing worry for fire services (and the aviation industry, cf the 2013 787 grounding), but the explosions we've seen in video from Lebanon don't seem consistent with a deliberately triggered thermal runaway - no continuing fire and flames. The suggestion there was a beeped prompt to make people bring it up to their face before the explosion suggests a degree of precise timing I really don't think is consistent with a thermal runaway.
Example lithium battery fires:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nz5ijXcckI
Very likely.Those folks don't fly a whole lot, and probably are under direction not to take their pagers if they do.
"Contrary to initial assumptions, it was not the pager batteries that caused the explosions, but the lithium within them that caused the detonation."
Lithium is nasty stuff, and lithium battery fires are a growing worry for fire services (and the aviation industry, cf the 2013 787 grounding), but the explosions we've seen in video from Lebanon don't seem consistent with a deliberately triggered thermal runaway - no continuing fire and flames. The suggestion there was a beeped prompt to make people bring it up to their face before the explosion suggests a degree of precise timing I really don't think is consistent with a thermal runaway.
Example lithium battery fires:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nz5ijXcckI
To me, this is little different than throwing hand grenades in crowds.You just may want to recheck your "facts"
By all appearances, B.A.C. Consulting was a Hungary-based company that was under contract to produce the devices on behalf of a Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo. In fact, it was part of an Israeli front, according to three intelligence officers briefed on the operation. They said at least two other shell companies were created as well to mask the real identities of the people creating the pagers: Israeli intelligence officers.
B.A.C. did take on ordinary clients, for which it produced a range of ordinary pagers. But the only client that really mattered was Hezbollah, and its pagers were far from ordinary. Produced separately, they contained batteries laced with the explosive PETN, according to the three intelligence officers.
The pagers began shipping to Lebanon in the summer of 2022 in small numbers, but production was quickly ramped up after Mr. Nasrallah denounced cellphones.
Bibi.It could equally have been a third party who didn't want any possibility of a ceasefire.
At least two other shell companies, one in Sofia headed by a Norwegian businessman were created as well to mask the real identities of the people creating the pagers: Israeli intelligence officers.
That is the official address for BAC Consulting KFT, which produced them under a commercial agreement, according to Gold Apollo, the Taiwanese company whose brand was on the exploding devices.
But a woman at the Budapest office said the only sign she had seen of BAC was monthly visits from a representative to pick up the mail. A building in Paris listed as the address of BAC’s chief executive turned out to be barracks for French gendarmes.
No problemIf the Admin does not mind, here is an update. It seems that the coverup stage has commenced
Walkie-talkies and pagers are prohibited on planes
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, located in Lebanon, prohibits all passengers from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on board. The ban applies to both hand luggage and checked luggage, but also cargo and comes into effect immediately, states Lebanon's state news agency NNA.
The Lebanese civilian aviation directorate asked airlines operating from Beirut to tell passengers that walkie-talkies and pagers were banned until further notice. Such devices were also banned from being shipped by air, the Lebanese state news agency reported.