• Ibaudia@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Why would a diplomat have a direct line of communication with a powerful military force in the region? That seems like a pretty straightforward question with an obvious answer lol.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          But that cannot be why. My buddy says the ambassador had a good friend, an old roommate, who joined Hezbollah and that’s how they keep in touch.

      • SeattleRain@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Don’t forget all those Hamas nurses and doctors. Totally not indiscriminate terrorism against civilians. Israel never does that!

        • Wade@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Hezbollah*

          I know it was probably an innocent mistake but people have been mixing these two up a lot recently

      • SeattleRain@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Enjoy losing the electronics handheld market to the Chinese as everyone gets paranoid about Western smartphones. Will you still be laughing when this hack inevitably leaks and is used to harm you or your family. I’m a computer hacker and it’s looking more and more like these were done by hacking the devices and detonating the battery. But hey, at least you got to do a completely militarily impotent terrorism against a group fighting a genocide.

        • Cypher@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          The leading theory is a supply chain attack and that explosives were planted but you would know that if you could read, mr hacker

          • SeattleRain@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            No that’s not the leading theory outside the west. Regardless even if explosives were planted do you think that is going to make consumers feel better about buying western electronics after seeing how their intelligence agencies flagrantly break international laws. We have rules of war for a reason and you chuck fucks are about to find out why first hand when your tech sector takes a hit.

            • Cypher@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              No that’s not the leading theory outside the west.

              Completely irrelevant as reality doesn’t care where your fallacious claims are sourced from.

              Ahhh yes China, which is famous for its respect of human rights, will take over because consumer sentiment will shift. Very obvious.

              and you chuck fucks

              Full mask off huh, so which is your preferred flavour of dictators boot?

              • SeattleRain@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                How is calling you a chuckle fuck a “mask slipping” moment. How much of a marshmallow are you. Anyway yeah China does have a bad human rights record but the US has far and away the most prisoners of anyone in the world which they use as chattel slaves all while telling everyone their citizens have the most rights and freedoms haha.

                • Cypher@lemmy.world
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                  2 months ago

                  when your tech sector takes a hit.

                  It was merely the start of the mask slipping, you have effectively admitted you aren’t from the West.

                  So I ask again, what is your favourite flavour of dictators boot?

        • VeganCheesecake@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          2 months ago

          All credible reporting I’ve seen is relatively certain that it was a small amount of military grade explosives.

          If you have the device in front of you, and are prepping it for your secret operation, that also seems like a much more straightforward solution than trying to manipulate a lithium ion battery in a way that both allows it to work normally for years, but then explode violently enough to kill someone holding it.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          The command might have been a hack but the physicality is just not something normal batteries are capable of producing.

        • AVincentInSpace@pawb.social
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          2 months ago

          Oh right! I keep forgetting that Israel is “the west” and Palestine is not despite being geographically on top of each other. Someday I’m gonna have to figure out where exactly this “west” is so I know not to go there.

    • OldWoodFrame@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      Pagers were precursors to cell phones, there’s a little screen and it buzzes but the primary purpose is just to tell you to call someone.

      Hezbollah is a political party / paramilitary group in Lebanon, aligned with Iran against Israel. And Lebanon shares a border with Israel so a famously fraught relationship there and it has only gotten worse since October. They use pagers because the Israeli intelligence agency is notoriously good and they would likely hack any cell phone.

      Speaking of which, Israeli intelligence planted bombs in pagers sold to Hezbollah by a 3rd party over the last 2 years, and recently detonated the bombs, killing or wounding many members of Hezbollah. Also an Iranian ambassador.

      • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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        2 months ago

        Also killing 2 children and wounding many more… You know, the thing that tends to happen when you randomly set off bombs all over the place in between civilians and families.

  • TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    It was on discount on Jihad R Us.

    But seriously, doubt the relation can be considered much of a secret.

  • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    Communication? Lebanon has a right to defend itself. It’s like questioning why Biden has a line to the Israel Prime Minister.

      • brian@programming.dev
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        2 months ago

        they’re not the government but they are a political party with 15 seats in the parliament.

              • Keeponstalin@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                Things are not that simple. Not all of Hezbollah are militants, there are many social workers and politicians

                Hezbollah organizes an extensive social development program and runs hospitals, news services, educational facilities, and encouragement of Nikah mut‘ah. Some of its established institutions are: Emdad committee for Islamic Charity, Hezbollah Central Press Office, Al Jarha Association, and Jihad Al Binaa Developmental Association. Jihad Al Binna’s Reconstruction Campaign is responsible for numerous economic and infrastructure development projects in Lebanon. Hezbollah has set up a Martyr’s Institute (Al-Shahid Social Association), which guarantees to provide living and education expenses for the families of fighters who die in battle.

                Hezbollah holds 14 of the 128 seats in the Parliament of Lebanon and is a member of the Resistance and Development Bloc. According to Daniel L. Byman, it is “the most powerful single political movement in Lebanon.” Hezbollah, along with the Amal Movement, represents most of Lebanese Shi’a.

                • AVincentInSpace@pawb.social
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                  1 month ago

                  If the existence of good cops does not disprove that all cops are bastards, since policing as a concept is a corrupt institution and if they were really good cops, they would quit, how can we not say the same about social workers who align themselves with a terrorist organization?

          • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            There are more of them that do than there are that don’t. A militia wing is very common outside the western world.

            • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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              2 months ago

              Really? What happens if they get a plurality or even a majority, would there be a significant risk of a coup?

              Generally speaking, you don’t want to mix your militias and political parties.

              • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                In some places yes. In others they’re already more concerned with an ongoing conflict. There are some that just organize their military that way and wouldn’t think of it. Heck that’s the original way of organizing a military.

        • TheFonz@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Haha no. Take some time and read up maybe? All the info is available. Heck, maybe hop on a call and talk to some people in Lebanon? Anything. Just stop repeating nonsense.

          • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
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            2 months ago

            All the info is available.

            But it ISN’T. The US mainstream media constantly lies and the US pushes propaganda all around the world. We’ve been fed disinformation for decades not just since Trump. So I can’t just read up on them without a deep dive in trying to first find neutral sources and read and then evaluate them. If you just read the standard version about them your perception is going to be warped. Like I said, they have bad PR, which really means prevailing propaganda brands them as evil.

            I don’t like their religious views either but fundamentally they are guys in a militia fighting against foreign invaders and threats to their country.

            • TheFonz@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              fundamentally they are guys in a militia fighting against foreign invaders and threats to their country

              Why do you think this?

              • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                Probably because Hezbollah maintains that Israel is still occupying Lebanon.

                And they’re right about that.

    • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
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      2 months ago

      Why should the US president be in regular contact with the perpetrator of an ongoing genocide?

      Almost makes you think the US supports continued Israeli apartheid.

      • TheFonz@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        You’re asking why the US formed an ally 75 years ago with the only stable democracy in the middle east and has a continued interest in maintaining stability in the region?

        Of course not, you can only operate in sound bytes, buzzwords and catchphrases.

        • sazey@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          “only stable democracy” haha that old chestnut, you are deluded if you are ignoring the number of actual democracies in the ME that USA has helped topple or marginalised.

          • TheFonz@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Haha let’s talk about 75 years of ME geopolitics using buzzwords and catchphrases. Haha.

            • sazey@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              haha let’s use the only parroted phrase you know again and again haha

              • TheFonz@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                If someone starts a conversation in buzzwords and catchphrases I will respond in kind. You don’t like it? Feel free to start another thread that doesn’t use catchphrase as the foundation and starting point for a conversation on me politics.

                You guys want to have your cake and eat it. Pick one. Have a nuanced discussion about me politics or throw memes around. Don’t shit yourself because you don’t like what you see in the mirror.

                It’s me. We can smear our feces together.

        • MetaCubed@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Mind telling me how Israel is a table democracy? Or how they create stability? Maybe you can tell me why the middle east is a destabilized region to begin with?

          • TheFonz@lemmy.world
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            I do mind telling you because I know I won’t get an informed discussion out of this thread. You want to talk ME politics? Start a new thread with specifics and let’s go over it. I’m not expending energy replying to buzz phrases with detailed responses. I’ve played this game and it sucks spending time and energy discussing something only to get back.

            “lmao. Genocide Joe amirite?”

            People use lazy catchphrases to describe me politics: I respond with more lazy catchphrases.

              • TheFonz@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                Mind telling me how Israel is a table democracy? Or how they create stability? Maybe you can tell me why the middle east is a destabilized region to begin with?

                You’re asking a rhetorical question in the hopes of getting a gotcha. Because, again, all you guys do is swim in catchphrases and vibes. Your primary goal here is not to deepen any kind of understanding. If you did, you would be a lot more honest in your questions. You’d open up with a clear argument, based on specifics, with dates, people, events etc.

                No one is obligated to give you an essay on the last 75 years of ME geopolitics if all you do is start is with catchphrases and gotchas.

                You want a nuanced discussion that delves into the specifics of the geopolitics of the region? Start a thread that’s not just diluted meaningless sentences, such as this nugget:

                Why should the US president be in regular contact with the perpetrator of an ongoing genocide?

                It’s hopeless, because you guys will bounce back and forth between one catchphrase or buzz sentence without opening a book, or a wikipedia page, or an article, or anything. And you want us to come here and write essays to explain or refute these meaningless sentiments. It’s all vibes. You start threads with vibes, you get vibes.

                • MetaCubed@lemmy.world
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                  2 months ago

                  To be clear, that wasnt me you just responded to, but I was the one who asked you the questions. You seem to be making a lot of bad faith assumptions about my intent with those questions.

                  You’re asking a rhetorical question in the hopes of getting a gotcha.

                  Well, it is rhetorically framed, but I was trying to see if you and I are both working with frameworks built on reality.

                  Your primary goal here is not to deepen any kind of understanding.

                  Again, ouch. The tone of the questions may have come across that way, but my intent is never to “gotcha”… You’ll just have to take my word for it obviously.

                  If you did, you would be a lot more honest in your questions. You’d open up with a clear argument, based on specifics, with dates, people, events etc.

                  This is a forum on internet, not debate club. Like I said above, I’m sorry if my questions came across as being bad faith, but I’m not obligated to serve you a rhetorically perfect and fallacy-free set of questions, just as you are not obligated to engage with my questions if you feel they’re trying to uh… “Gotcha”

                  If you did, you would be a lot more honest in your questions. You’d open up with a clear argument, based on specifics, with dates, people, events etc.

                  I’m not totally sure how I’m responding with catch phrases. Honestly, if nothing else I’d love for you to clarify this

                  You want a nuanced discussion that delves into the specifics of the geopolitics of the region? Start a thread that’s not just diluted meaningless sentences, such as this nugget:

                  Why should the US president be in regular contact with the perpetrator of an ongoing genocide?

                  I’m sorry, I’m not being intentionally obtuse, but I can’t tell if you’re using the above as an example of a “diluted meaningless sentence” or whether it’s meant to be a good question.

                  Ultimately, I don’t feel I was acting in bad faith considering I was trying to evaluate your framework. If you feel it was done poorly, that’s okay, you dont need to respond.

                  Also:

                  Who are “you guys”?

        • Aceticon@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Whilst the first part of your point is correct IMHO, for the rest Israel has been the very opposite of a force for stability in the region and the non-conditionality of the US’ help has emboldened successive Israeli governments to behave worse and worse thus making the region less stable (one of their main concerns seems to be to stop nations around them from having stable democratic governments) rather than more.

          I would say that ACAB and a bunch of very rich Americans with Fascist tendencies who happen to be Jewish and love the ethno-Fascism which is Zionism having bought American Politics (basically doing what Russia wanted to do and, unlike Russia, actually succeeding) is a far better explanation for continued American support of Israel, a theory that much better explains the unconditionality of the American support for Israel than the idea that it’s because of wanting stability in the Middle East.

          Absolutelly, American support makes geostrategical sense up to a point. It’s just that we’re well beyond that point and the American support in its current form (weapon shipments, blocking UN resolutions condemning the genocide) doesn’t make sense for geostrategical reasons (both in terms of stability in the Middle East and because it also damages the perception of America all over the World), so it must be something else driving it.

        • gandalf_der_12te@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          2 months ago

          Apart with all the buzzwords; Current US politics for Israel is making US look bad on an international stage. There’s no point in behaving that way.

    • HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Pagers are one directional, and cant be traced.

      To view a different way, why do they have a pager, rather than just calling an embassy, “state department” or cell phone?

      • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        If they have nothing to hide, why don’t they let themselves be killed?

        • HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          That’s a very weak arguement - you’re communicating with the embassy and ambassador of a recognized country.

          • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
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            2 months ago

            Is it simply impossible for you to imagine that other peoples have different opinions and viewpoints on things?

            Just because it’s been ingrained into you that arabs are bad and they are all “shithole countries” or hezbollah is evil, doesn’t mean that others share that view. Ask yourself: Does Lebanon and Iran and Palestinians have a right to defend themselves?

            And no that doesn’t mean I agree with either of those groups. I just realize that framing everything as a fight of good vs evil like it’s some fantasy movie where you can just slay the mindless orcs. These are human beings sick of imperialist aggression. Do you expect them to just lie down? Solutions are complicated and don’t involve just killing everyone who opposes you.

            So of course Iran would have communication channels with Hezbollah or even support them.

            The problem isn’t that my argument is weak, it’s that I have to make it in the first place. It’s fucking obvious except to the severely brainwashed, and then there is little point of making it instead of mocking them.

            • PoTayToes@sh.itjust.works
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              Is it simply impossible for you to imagine that other peoples have different opinions and viewpoints on things?

              There are an infinity of viewpoints, and many (most?) of them will be wrong.

              • “Lebanon, Iran and the Palestinians can defend themselves” is not wrong.
              • “Lebanon and Iran are currently defending themselves” is wrong.

              Lebanon isn’t even included in this, Hezbollah is not Lebanon. Iran is attacking Israel. They could stop doing that anytime and have Israel leave them alone. That includes giving up on their uranium enrichment.

              Palestinians are a much more complicated situation, because the settler land theft is agression from Israel and should have stopped decades ago. But the current Palestinian leaders (both Hamas and Fatah) don’t actually care to solve that. They would rather have their citizens continue to die so they can continue getting richer. Which is why they encourage deadly attacks on civilian which will keep Netanyahu and his ilk in power, because Israelis like all humans tend to respond to violence with violence.

              These are human beings sick of imperialist aggression.

              Bullshit. How can you be so blind? Iran is led by right-wing theocrats leaders, they would be imperialist themselves if they could afford to. Actually they are, since they supported Syria when it fucking invaded Lebanon for 30 years. And then left Hezbollah to continue controlling the place, where it has more influence than the actual Lebanese governement, which is supposed to represent the Lebanese people.

              Hezbollah does not act in the interest of the Lebanese people, they are murderous thugs that obey their masters in Tehran. If they truly wanted to help Lebanese people, they would not be shooting at Israel. There are so many things in terrible shape in Lebanon they could be fixing, but no, they are a large part of the problem because they want control over making things better.

              • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
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                Iran is attacking Israel. They could stop doing that anytime and have Israel leave them alone. That includes giving up on their uranium enrichment.

                This is the ingrained propaganda that is clouding your understanding. Iran always complied (reasonably) with the NPT and seeks peaceful use of nuclear power. Just as Iraq didn’t have WMDs. These lies are framing their resistance and defense against imperialist aggression as aggression on their side.

                Obviously Iran isn’t as nice and democratic, post racist and secular as the USA (/s) but they do have the right to defend themselves. Hezbollah is their tool. The US and Israel has theirs.

                • PoTayToes@sh.itjust.works
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                  2 months ago

                  I see you aren’t engaging most of my comment. That’s fine, hopefully it made you think at least.

                  peaceful use

                  You can’t claim things like “Israel must be wiped off the map” (Iranian source before you continue with the propaganda accusations) and pretend you are enriching uranium over the needed amount for civilian use for peaceful purposes.

                  Iraq and WMDs

                  No argument here, that’s just America doing American things. I’d have Bush and his whole admin at the Hague if it was up to me. Not that Saddam deserved better, but the Iraqi did.

                  Last paragraph.

                  And you’re right, Iran has a right to defend themselves. But they aren’t defending themselves in this situation. You don’t defend yourself by having a proxy invade then another take control of a country so you can have it lob missiles at a third one without endangering yourself.

            • Ooops@feddit.org
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              2 months ago

              Does Lebanon and Iran and Palestinians have a right to defend themselves?

              “Defend” themselves against Israel daring to exist?

              • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
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                Right, Israel just needs a bit more lebensraum in the east / the west bank.

                • Ooops@feddit.org
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                  2 months ago

                  Why are you changing the topic? Yes, Israel using the situation to expand into palestinian territory is also despicable. But that doesn’t magically make military, militia or terrorist attacks against Israel an act of defense.

                  If you want to condemn Israel’s actions then the bare minimal requirement is not being even worse. At which countries openly supporting terrorists and calling for the destruction of a neighbouring country fail by definition.