A former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, called last week’s incident of exploding communication devices targeting the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militia a “form of terrorism” during a Sunday television appearance.
Speaking to Lee Cowan on CBS News Sunday Morning, Panetta also voiced his worry that these actions could be repeated, which would require other countries to find ways to avert similar occurrences.
On September 17, an estimated 30 Hezbollah members were killed and 2,800 injured in a sabotage operation that caused multiple pagers owned by the terrorists to detonate simultaneously after receiving a transmitted message. This incursion is widely thought to have been orchestrated by Israeli intelligence personnel.
The following day, more blasts took place, impacting handheld radios owned by other Hezbollah associates.
“This is a tactic that has repercussions. And we really don’t know what those repercussions are going to be,” Panetta told the interviewer. “The forces of war are largely in control right now.”
"Mark my words, it is the battlefield for the future," Panetta predicted.
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