- Feb 5, 2002
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On Sept. 17, the deaths of 12 Hezbollah militants in coordinated explosions across Lebanon, and the wounding of over 2,700 people nearby, stunned the world, in part because it was soon revealed that the miniature bombs that had caused such damage were planted in pagers used by Hezbollah to communicate. The following day, 20 more members of Hezbollah were killed, and hundreds more people were injured — this time, by exploding walkie-talkies.
The state of Israel has not officially acknowledged responsibility (and likely never will) for planting the explosives in pagers and walkie-talkies or for sending the signals that caused them to detonate, but sources who have remained anonymous have confirmed what everyone suspected. And so, in the space of 24 hours, the war between Israel and the Islamic militants of Hamas and Hezbollah has entered a new, and historically unprecedented, phase.
The year-long conflict is just the latest evolution of a decades-long struggle in the Middle East in which there have been many losers but never, truly, any winners. While the United States remains, officially, an ally of Israel, and the U.S. State Department continues to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, the actions of all involved in this struggle have all too often violated both international law and the principles of just war.
Injuring noncombatants
Continued below.
Israel's killer pagers perpetuate the cycle of violence
Israel’s use of pager and walkie-talkie bombs against Hezbollah militants was entirely unjust.
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