Opinion International Geopolitics

[OneGreatClub]

Which is why I find extremely naive those who say why should AUSTRALIA care if Trump is re elected? It’s because he is transactional. If we don’t kow tow to him, if we offend his fragile ego in some way, unless we say nice things to him, do what he wants no matter how bad for our own country, he will leave us out to dry.
That is why.
Plus he sets a trend for white supremacy, mob rule, subjugation of women.
Of course for those tiny feeble minded men on BF who fear women they might think that’s a good thing.

 

[sobrave]

A kid was killed.

Hezbollah hit by a wave of exploding pagers and blames Israel. At least 9 dead, thousands injured

Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously in parts of Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people — including members of the militant group Hezbollah and a young girl

abcnews.go.com

Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously in parts of Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people — including members of the militant group Hezbollah and a young girl

Israeli terrorists/war criminals strike again

 

[Duck Farmer]

If I was in Hezbollah I'd be selling my AirPods tout de suite.

 

[OneGreatClub]

Good

 

[backtozero]

Is anyone else surprised that pagers are still a thing? Thought they were phased out when the Nokia 3310 hit the scene.

 

[wannabejack]

Good

At least 2 earthquakes recorded by NORSAR as a result of hundreds of thousands of tons of munitions detonating due to Ukrainian drone strikes in Tver region.
2.8 magnitude 5 hours ago.
2.5 magnitude 4 hours ago.
Russian MoD said all drones were shot down. No, really

 

[Festerz]

Is anyone else surprised that pagers are still a thing? Thought they were phased out when the Nokia 3310 hit the scene.

They were brought back into use by Hezbollah precisely because intelligence showed that mobile phones were capable of being remotely hacked and tracked. (including specialised apps that were previously thought safe from hacking, as per what has happened with crime gangs).

The Washington Post revealed today that Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah,had been pushing for years for Hezbollah to throw away their mobile phones and invest instead in pagers, which for all their limited capabilities could receive data without giving away a user’s location or other compromising information, according to American intelligence assessments. Approx 5,000 pagers were imported into Lebanon last month as a result and distributed to Hezbollah members.

The move to pagers to is something that Mossad had anticipated months possibly years in advance and were ready for.

As was the subsequent move to walkie talkies in response to the mass pager detonations.

As a result Hezbollah's communications and organisation capabilities has been severely compromised.

The real question is - why now? And what's next? A mass military invasion of Lebanon by Israel to capitalise on that confusion is what many are expecting.

 

[Duck Farmer]

The move to pagers to is something that Mossad had anticipated months possibly years in advance and were ready for.

Plus Mossad were probably planting and promoting the idea within Hezbollah that mobile phones were insecure in order to get them to move to the booby trapped pagers and walkie-talkies.

 

[Festerz]

Plus Mossad were probably planting and promoting the idea within Hezbollah that mobile phones were insecure in order to get them to move to the booby trapped pagers and walkie-talkies.

Yep. And sniping drones are ready when they switch to homing pigeons next.

But seriously, as the Washington Post has pointed out and I commented in a post in the main international politics board, this was a complex, multistage attack that appears to have been meticulously mapped out over a long time. Israel pulling the trigger on its implementation would only have been done if plans were already in place to take full advantage of the chaos and uncertainty it has caused in the Hezbollah hierarchy.

And yet no such military attack has been launched? Which suggests the decision to activate the mobile device detonations was premature. Arab security services have speculated that Hezbollah had discovered a problem with the pagers (they may have uncovered the explosive device planted on the battery) and that Israel faced a “use it or lose it” moment. Otherwise, the timing of the attack makes little sense. It may also mean that Israel is going to have to bring forward longer term plans they had to push forces into Southern Lebanon.

 

[bomberclifford]

Is anyone else surprised that pagers are still a thing? Thought they were phased out when the Nokia 3310 hit the scene.

Old tech, ironically, can sometimes be more secure.

That thinking is probably being revised after the last few days though.

 

[Festerz]

Old tech, ironically, can sometimes be more secure.

That thinking is probably being revised after the last few days though.

Yep. With what happened in Lebanon this week and what was revealed yesterday about the AFP hacking of the Ghost messaging app developed locally and distributed globally to crime syndicates, I think it's time to go back and watch The Wire series again (where the local hoods went from using payphones, to pagers, to burner mobiles over the course of several seasons as digital technology developed ).

Using the technology itself as a means to directly target individuals involved was probably inevitable when you think about it. The reason why Hezbollah dumped them en-masse was apparently because it was suspected that they could be used as covert listening and tracking devices, even with the sim removed. As Duck says, Mossad actively promoting that fear and taking control of the supply chain to plant covert incendiary devices in what would be their most likely replacement was the logical next step for an intelligence service regarded as the most innovative and ruthless in the world.

 

[OneGreatClub]

 

[backtozero]

Old tech, ironically, can sometimes be more secure.

That thinking is probably being revised after the last few days though.

Yeah, like in the movies when someone would make an important call on a burner phone. They'd always snap the flip phone or take the battery out and ditch it. Now phones are always "on" no matter what.