to think that putting explosives in devices such as pagers and walkie talkies can lead to indiscriminate injuries and killings

[cakeorwine]

Let's get the first thing out of the way - it's not right to fire missiles and rockets at people - as that can cause indiscriminate injuries as well.

Putting explosives in devices such as pagers and walkie talkies - it sounds clever. Just send a signal and an explosion goes off potentially injuring and killing your opponent who has it. It will also disrupt communication methods.

But once you put the explosive in it, you lose control of where it goes and when it gets blown up. It could be a child has it. It could be on a plane - and might not be picked up by security.

You don't know where it ends up. Which means that it has the potential for unintended consequences.

What about any that didn't go off? Are there objects that have been booby trapped and are just potentially waiting to explode - and who knows where they are? The thing about booby traps is that you just don't know who will set them off.

Booby traps seem to be against the International Humanitarian Law if they can injure civillians.

Customary IHL - Rule 80. Booby-Traps (icrc.org)

Thanks for this post

MNHQ have updated another thread on Middle East conflict board with the legality around this if people are unsure

I suggest you acquaint yourself with at least a passing knowledge of the subject at hand in order to make a relevant contribution to the thread.

I am getting my information from Israeli media who report the attacks as they happen. Anyone can find this information even if you can’t read Hebrew, as it is being published in English versions too.

The attacks by Hezbollah on Israel have been tracked and averaged, are you suprised that Israel would be smart enough to do that? It’s common knowledge they are doing 4-5 attacks daily. I see nothing ‘weird’ about caring enough to monitor attacks on Israel, especially since I have family there. Perhaps you might want to remember that it’s the targets of these attacks that have the most interest in tracking them, not the ones pushing the button to fire them off.

I think you’d be doing the same if you were living in the US and Russia were doing 4-5 attacks daily on the northern U.K. and you had family in the U.K.

And what is illegal about posting the facts and averages of Hezbollah attacks as reported and analysed by Israel?

Speak for yourself, I’m the one saying a Hezbollah wolf is still a wolf and you and others seem to have a vested interest in telling everyone that the Hezbollah wolf is now a harmless, confused sheep.

It’s not supporting terrorism to point out accurately that an illegal attack with booby trapped devices has utterly failed to disrupt their attack tempo, has now provoked a sense of global outrage, has fired up Hezbollah to seek revenge- none of which make Israel any safer or more secure.

Absolutely. It’s why they get so angry when questioned. They either feel ashamed of themselves deep down or they can’t fathom that others have broken free from the propaganda they are still so fully entrenched in, so they lash out. It’s all so sad.

Speak for yourself, I’m the one saying a Hezbollah wolf is still a wolf and you and others seem to have a vested interest in telling everyone that the Hezbollah wolf is now a harmless, confused sheep.

I am speaking for myself and I said nothing of the sort so it’s unclear why you’re so keen to put words in other people’s mouths.

It’s unclear why you are so keen to repeatedly accuse me of being a Hezbollah supporter, terrorist sympathiser and so on.

Many others have done so as well, and for good reason.

Opposing this type of operation because civilians can be harmed is like opposing the use of DNA evidence on the grounds that it can still lead to wrongful convictions.

True, but banning the use of DNA will lead to far worse outcomes.

"Everyone just stop" isn't a realistic policy right now unfortunately. So it's in every civilians interests that each side be as precise in their operations as possible.

In that context, this is about as precise as you can get.

I think it’s the sneaking regardism and repetitive bigging up of Hezbollah aggression and capabilities that might’ve done it.

Yes, many others have done so, but not for any good reason whatsoever.
It’s like you guys are so caught up in wishing this attack had been a case of questionable means but ultimately a success, that you are blind to the facts.

The rockets didn’t stop. They are still coming. Five more Israelis injured this morning. And now the Hezbollah anger and hate is even more entrenched, and more Lebanese have gone over to supporting Hezbollah than ever before.

The Israeli government is blundering from one disaster to another.

Muthaofcats · Yesterday 21:58
You are not Jewish

What a strange conclusion to come to. Jewish people don’t all hold the same opinions. Many are very upset with the actions of the Israeli government.

Oh give over. There is no “bigging up on aggression and capabilities” by me by posting the real life Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israel since the pager explosions.

Also my comments regarding their aggression are relatively mild compared to that said by my accusers who say Hezbollah wish to destroy all of Israel. You’re not accusing them of being a supporter for ‘bigging up aggression and capabilities’ are you?

No, what is the real reason?

Opposing this type of operation because civilians can be harmed is like opposing the use of DNA evidence on the grounds that it can still lead to wrongful convictions.

Can you explain how these are even remotely alike? I am not seeing it.
Opposing an operation involving booby trapped commercial items which is illegal under international law no matter who the target is (terrorist or state military) is akin to opposing the legal collection and use of DNA evidence in a criminal trial how?

@Zzippit
In addition to this morning’s earlier attack by Hezbollah, there have been 4 more while we were chatting on this thread…

• 3 drone attacks struck Kiryat Shmona and Beit Hillel near the Lebanese border (via Ynet )
• 1 missile has hit the northern Israeli community of Ya’ara, injuring several people, (The Times of Israel.)
• The number injured in the earlier missile attack that hit Israel’s Ramim Ridge in the northern Galilee area, has increased from 5 to 8, with 1 in critical condition. (via Ynet)

Running total is 5 Hezbollah attacks so far for today.

Note, this is actual aggression and real life attack capability.
There is no exaggeration and the only regard is a healthy sense of realism.

You seem to live in a make-believe wonderland where no one will be harmed on either side. Israel needs to defend itself and its citizens. Or are you happy with children being deliberately targeted (not just accidentally caught in the blast, because Hezbollah have no scruples), just so long as those children are Israeli?

You misunderstand
I am anti rockets or genocide
I simply point out, if you are OK with ‘collateral damage’ because you believe violence is justified and proportionate for then end goal, then you MUST be OK with that collateral damage being your own kids or family too.
If all lives are of equal value then you kid is of same value as a Lebanese kid. So you must be OK with it. Aren’t you?

My kid means more to me than anyone else's kid. Therefore I would support whatever measures were necessary to protect my kid from a threat. You can't defend yourself from an aggressor and simultaneously guarantee that no accidental harm will come to a single civilian.

Israel seems to catch a lot of innocent children in accidental blasts, but eventhough they have killed waaaaaay more people than Hizbollah and Hamas together, they are “defending themselves”.

Of course our children means the most to us, but that’s not morally how you conduct foreign policy.

Your claim that Hezbollah aren't terrorists might have something to do with it.

So you are saying Israeli kids were killed so Isreal has the right to kill Lebanese kids?
So it stands to reason Lebanon now has the right to kill more Israeli kids.
And so on and so on.
With so many eyes exploded by Israel yesterday the phrase ‘an eye for an eye and the whole world will go blind’ has never seemed more apt.

I suggest that you are mistaken in thinking that you can dictate what I post or what constitutes a relevant contribution.
You obvious disagree with my opinion, which is fine, but do this with counter argument, not personal attacks.
Your use of the ad hominem fallacy is getting tedious and brings nothing to the thread.

Absolutely but I wish these people had the courage to do so. Be honest.