 Defense &
National Security |
Defense &
National Security |
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PRESENTED BY LOCKHEED MARTIN |
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Handheld radios explode in Lebanon |
The radio explosions killed at least 14 people and wounded hundreds of others Wednesday, coming one day after pagers detonated across Lebanon, killing 12 and injuring 2,800. |
The two-day round of explosions has underscored a major security weakness in Hezbollah, which has relied on low-tech devices like pagers and handheld radios to avoid Israeli surveillance and tracking. Hezbollah has blamed the attacks on Israel, which has not publicly commented on the explosions. The New York Times reported that Israel was behind the pager explosions Tuesday that killed 12 people, including two children, and injured some 2,800 others. Israel reportedly briefed the U.S. after the pager attacks. - Gerald Steinberg, President of NGO Monitor, and founder of the Conflict Management and Negotiations program at Israel's Bar Ilan University, called the dual attacks on Hezbollah a "major operation."
- "Nobody detected the fact that they had this extra explosive," he said.
The AR-924 model pagers are from a Taiwanese company named Gold Apollo, which said it only licensed its technology to the product manufacturer, a relatively unknown Hungarian company called BAC Consulting KFT.
Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said in a post on X that the "company in question is a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary."
The attacks this week are raising fears that a wider war is inching closer between Hezbollah and Israel, which have been trading fire over the border for nearly a year in a fight tied to the ongoing Gaza war.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the U.S. was not involved in the pager and radio attacks. - Blinken said it was vital for all parties to avoid "any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we're trying to resolve in Gaza."
- "To see it spread to other fronts — it's clearly not in the interest of anyone involved to see that happen," he said.
The U.S. wants a diplomatic solution to the fighting with Hezbollah, but Israeli officials have made it a war goal to return their tens of thousands of displaced residents safely to the north. It's unclear if diplomacy can accomplish that aim.
Hezbollah's media office said in a separate statement that it would respond separately to the pager attacks. - "What happened yesterday will increase our determination and resolve to continue on the path of jihad and resistance," the statement said.
- Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to give a speech on Thursday.
Read the full story at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Brad Dress — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. |
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How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future: |
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Palestine Legal and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the University of Maryland after the school canceled an Oct. 7 vigil that a student group planned for those killed in Gaza since the war began after Hamas's terror attack against Israel a year earlier. The school announced at the beginning of September it concluded the best way to move forward with the anniversary is "to host only university-sponsored events that promote reflection on this day." ... |
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Russian political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza called it "a miracle" that he was freed from a Russian prison in an unprecedented prisoner exchange this summer, and he said it should encourage ongoing efforts to free Americans detained abroad. "You are the reason that I'm standing here," Kara-Murza told members of Congress, the Biden administration and supporters in a packed room at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday ... |
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday condemned Israel over a series of explosions across Lebanon involving pagers that targeted members of militant group Hezbollah. Ocasio-Cortez, a vocal critic of Israel's government amid its broader war in Gaza, weighed in following reports that Israel's intelligence and military arms were behind Tuesday's pager attack that killed a dozen people and injured several thousand ... |
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Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: |
- The Hill's Future of Defense summit starts at 7:45 a.m. ET on Thursday.
- The House Armed Services Committee holds a 1 p.m. hearing Thursday on extremist policies in the Army.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Charles Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will host a 2024 National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony at the Pentagon on Friday.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Egypt through Thursday.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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Trump told Secret Service more resources needed: adviser |
Former President Trump told the Secret Service "that he believes that more resources are needed," a campaign adviser said Tuesday. "Well, first, the president always makes clear that he very much values the work and the risks and the sacrifice of his personal detail," Tim Murtaugh told NewsNation's … |
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A MESSAGE FROM LOCKHEED MARTIN |
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Events in and around the defense world: |
- The Brookings Institution analyzes great power competition and overseas bases during a 3 p.m. online event.
- The Center for Strategic and International Studies talks with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti during a 10 a.m. hybrid event.
- The Hudson Institute chats with the Commission on the National Defense Strategy at a 8:45 in-person event.
- The Potomac Officers Club hosts its 2024 intel summit in Virginia.
- The Foundation of Defense of Democracies discusses cybersecurity during a 8:30 a.m. online event.
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News we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Biden's arms transfers to Israel under internal investigation (The Washington Post)
- Germany has stopped approving war weapons exports to Israel, source says (Reuters)
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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Editor’s note: The story has been updated to reflect the number of times in recent election cycles that the union has not endorsed a candidate. … Read more |
| Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro couldn't purchase a canned cocktail under a new law expanding access to such beverages, because he forgot his ID. Read more |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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