Max Boot
People have been waging organized warfare ever since the dawn of civilization in ancient Mesopotamia — mostly modern-day Iraq — more than 6,000 years ago. Never in that time, however, has any military force experienced what Hezbollah has seen during the past few days. On Tuesday, thousands of pagers used by the Lebanese terrorist organization exploded, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 3,000. On Wednesday, more electronic devices belonging to Hezbollah — this time, reportedly, including handheld radios, a.k.a. walkie-talkies — also exploded, killing at least nine people and injuring at least 300 others.
Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for this innovative and sophisticated attack but was widely reported to be behind the explosions. Israeli operatives, apparently, managed to pack small amounts of explosives into the pagers and walkie-talkies before they reached Hezbollah and were then able to detonate them remotely via radio signal. It was a masterstroke of clandestine warfare that hit Hezbollah in one of the key vulnerabilities of any modern fighting force: its communications networks.
Before the 19th century, armies tended to be limited in size and concentrated in battle because the only way to spread commands was by yelling or employing couriers — usually on horseback. The advent of, first, the telegraph, then field telephones, and then, in the 20th century, two-way radios, made it possible for armies to expand in size and maneuver over vast distances while remaining in contact with their commanders.
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