This Sunday, Lebanon witnessed an explosion of communication devices primarily used by Hezbollah, leaving twenty-five dead and wounding 2,800 civilians. This new level of escalation is being referred to as the “Pagers explosion,” where several pager devices were reportedly detonated. All indications point to the involvement of the Israeli government and intelligence agencies, who seem to be attempting to expand the theatre of war beyond Gaza for strategic purposes.
It is notable that Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Israel have been engaged in intermittent escalations since the start of the Lebanese Civil War. However, since 7th October, both sides have been trading daily skirmishes, with Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, attempting to disrupt the genocidal campaign by Israel in Gaza. Fully aware of their technological and intelligence inferiority to Israel, Hezbollah leaders have been cautious in using modern electronic communication devices.
On Sunday and Thursday, apart from pagers, other electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops, walkie-talkies, and even solar systems were detonated. Initial investigations concluded that batteries had exploded, but others allege that Israeli intelligence agencies coordinated the attack on such low-wave transmission electronic devices.
It is worth noting that since April 2024, Israel has been increasing pressure on Hezbollah, killing several top political and militant leaders without much retaliation. Israel was also involved in the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the top political leader of Hamas, on 31st July 2024 on Iranian soil following the election of Iran’s new president. These events demonstrate how deeply the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, has penetrated the Middle East, benefiting from logistical, financial, and Western support.
These developments reveal the difficult position of Iran and its proxies, who support Hamas and the Palestinian cause for strategic reasons. On one hand, they are wary of engaging in a wider and prolonged war with Israel on Iranian soil, which could damage Iranian influence and infrastructure over its proxies such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and pro-Iranian regimes in Syria and Iraq. On the other hand, failing to retaliate and deter Israeli aggression against Hamas and other proxies exposes the strategic weakness of the Iranian regime. Moreover, economic sanctions, Iran’s hardline government, and its alleged support for Russia in the Ukraine war also undermine its ability to effectively deter Israel.
Despite Israel’s tactical successes on the battlefield, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on Wednesday with an overwhelming majority (124-14) in favour of Palestine. The resolution called for an end to Israeli occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem within 12 months, though it is non-binding. In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel is an occupying force in Palestinian territories, and its settlements are illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention. This shows that Israel is losing ground in international legal jurisprudence.
Israel is also losing public support in Western countries due to its genocidal campaign against Palestinians. Activists and university students have become vocal opponents of Israeli aggression, with pro-Palestinian protests and strikes taking place at various universities. Many analysts consider this unprecedented, as negative opinions about Israel have never been as widespread. Furthermore, Israel has lost much of the goodwill gained from the Abraham Accords, which sought to normalise relations between the Arab world and Israel and foster broader recognition of Israel by non-Arab countries. Consequently, Israel’s ongoing aggression has undermined its strategic interests.
Meanwhile, the USA, long considered a peace broker and supporter of the two-state solution, has heavily backed Israel’s war crimes, illegal settlements, and aggression against Palestine and its neighbours through diplomatic, economic, political, and military support. Despite the Biden administration’s push for a peace truce, Israel’s refusal to engage in any peace process with Palestine shows who holds the power. The 2024 US elections also reflect the candidates’ desperate bids to secure Israeli support, effectively making them puppets of Israel, due to the deep influence of the Israeli lobby within Washington, the White House, Congress, the Pentagon, and the State Department. Returning to the Israel-Hezbollah equation, the pager explosion signifies a new escalation in a wider conflict that has been brewing for months due to Israel’s continued aggression towards its neighbours. While neither Iran nor the USA desires a broader war because of its potential catastrophic impact on global peace, regional stability, and the global economy, Israel appears to be seeking a wider regional conflict to justify its war in Gaza, which has already claimed the lives of 40,000 Palestinians, half of whom were women and children.
The silence of the Muslim world and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in response to Israeli atrocities is deafening, with only hollow statements being issued, lacking any concrete action to stop the Israeli genocidal campaign. Although public sentiment in the Arab world is strongly pro-Palestinian, the ruling elite remains dependent on the USA and thus unable to take meaningful steps to halt Israeli aggression.
In conclusion, the real power in Washington lies in Tel Aviv, and humanity continues to live in a “Hobbesian World” where might is right, and the rule of the jungle prevails due to the lack of accountability for Israel’s war crimes. While some argue that nation-states operate based on “national interests” rather than ethical and human rights values, these same nation-states are bound by universally recognised principles, including the right to Palestinian self-determination and the accountability of Israel for its genocidal campaign.
Sher Ali Bukhari
The writer is a UET alumni with keen interest in Pakistan’s foreign policy.
