Middle East Defence & Security

[Ananda]

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

Iran launches new research satellite Chamran-1 into orbit

Tehran says its satellite launches are civilian in nature but West warns technology can be used for ballistic missiles.

www.google.com

Iran launches new satellite into space using technology feared by West

The event, which was broadcast on Iranian media, showed the rocket being launched from a mobile platform, roughly 215 miles east of the capital Tehran.

www.newsweek.com

I was thinking before to put this on general space thread. However this thread seems more appropriate. Iran claim successfully launch research satellite into orbit.

This is the second launch for this rocket with payload toward orbit. Despite all the controversy (at least from Western Government sides) on this launch, this is also shown the stability and continue maturity of their rocket technology.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

Iran launches new research satellite Chamran-1 into orbit

Tehran says its satellite launches are civilian in nature but West warns technology can be used for ballistic missiles.

www.google.com

Iran launches new satellite into space using technology feared by West

The event, which was broadcast on Iranian media, showed the rocket being launched from a mobile platform, roughly 215 miles east of the capital Tehran.

www.newsweek.com

I was thinking before to put this on general space thread. However this thread seems more appropriate. Iran claim successfully launch research satellite into orbit.

This is the second launch for this rocket with payload toward orbit. Despite all the controversy (at least from Western Government sides) on this launch, this is also shown the stability and continue maturity of their rocket technology.

The Iranian Space Agency was established in 2004. In those 20 years they have achieved more than LAPAN in 61 years.

 

[KipPotapych]

Self-explantory:



Any thoughts on what actually happened and how they pulled it off?

Side note, the obvious intent to maim thousands of people is pretty concerning though.





From: Hezbollah Vows to Retaliate Against Israel After Pagers Explode Across Lebanon: Live Updates

 

[King Wally]

This is straight from a 007 plot line... I'm very interested to hear any legit explanation also.
My assumption is that perhaps this shipment was intercepted, and had small explosive devices inserted before being delivered to Hezbollah?
A truly bold plot if true.

 

[SinisterMinister]

Not that I expect much in the way of strategic thought from Israel but I'm a bit baffled as to what possible purpose this attack could have served. It is not really targeted in any way and will probably only serve to further galvanize the Lebanese population against them. No doubt many innocents were harmed as well. And for what? To enrage Hezbollah into further escalation? Simply to cause whatever harm they can? It doesn't seem to serve any particular purpose; it is more akin to a terror attack than anything else.

 

[King Wally]

Not that I expect much in the way of strategic thought from Israel but I'm a bit baffled as to what possible purpose this attack could have served. It is not really targeted in any way and will probably only serve to further galvanize the Lebanese population against them. No doubt many innocents were harmed as well. And for what? To enrage Hezbollah into further escalation? Simply to cause whatever harm they can? It doesn't seem to serve any particular purpose; it is more akin to a terror attack than anything else.

Israel love to move preemptively so it wouldn't surprise me if they had intel of Hezbollah moving a specific plan into action, this "pager move" may have been intended to derail whatever it was they saw as imminent.

This event must have been set up long in advance, and held back for the right time?

An alternative theory would be that someone had worked out their pager was tampered with so Israel quickly hit the green light before the warning could get out? i.e the timing wasn't ideal but they didn't want to waste the opportunity.

 

[SolarisKenzo]

This was clearly not meant to kill, but IMHO its a good way to "scan" and to identify Hezhbollah operatives and pagers.
By monitoring hospitals you can see who's linked to hezhbollah and who's not.

 

[John Fedup]

Here’s TWZ take on exploding pagers. Some kind of malware to cause Li-ion batteries to explode seems far fetched to me. Surely it would take too much time to trigger this but I don’t know. Some kind of intercept at the point of manufacture (Hungry apparently) or during transport to implant explosives and triggers seems more likely. If it is the former then air travel will become an even bigger PITA!

Hezbollah's Exploding Pagers Could Be As Monumental A Cyber-Espionage Operation As Stuxnet

We live surrounded by networked devices equipped with packs full of potential energy, possibly offering adversaries an unprecedented vector for kinetic attacks.

www.twz.com

 

[KipPotapych]

Re overheated batteries, I’d have to agree with this:



Reportedly explosions today. Handheld radios now, according to the news reports.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-planted-explosives-hezbollahs-taiwan-made-pagers-say-sources-2024-09-18/

Hard to completely disagree with SinisterMinister’s point though. Like I said, the intent is clear and that is to maim those in possession of the devices, without direct knowledge of who it may be, where they may be, etc. Could be anyone, really, a kid, a wife/husband, etc.

It appears they are now dropping bombs on Lebanon, so it was a prelude to this.

Edit: the latter is not confirmed at this point.

 

[John Fedup]

Hezbollah will now have to disassemble every piece of electronic kit they acquire prior to use or their masters in Iran will have to start manufacturing stuff as an alternative. Another way to disrupt your enemy.

 

[KipPotapych]

Have given it some thought. I don’t see how a shipment like this can be intercepted and explosives planted in a timely and discreet manner. It had to be pre-manufactured. As crazy as it sounds (no more than the whole situation, really), I see that the best explanation at the moment is that Hezbollah actually orderer these from the Israelis themselves, perhaps via a previously set up fake website or something of that nature. I wouldn’t rule out Taiwan being complicit either, to be honest, but the former is a more likely scenario, in my opinion.

Edit: Whatever happened to @BigZucchini? He’d probably have something useful to add.

 

[John Fedup]

Have given it some thought. I don’t see how a shipment like this can be intercepted and explosives planted in a timely and discreet manner. It had to be pre-manufactured. As crazy as it sounds (no more than the whole situation, really), I see that the best explanation at the moment is that Hezbollah actually orderer these from the Israelis themselves, perhaps via a previously set up fake website or something of that nature. I wouldn’t rule out Taiwan being complicit either, to be honest, but the former is a more likely scenario, in my opinion.

Edit: Whatever happened to @BigZucchini? He’d probably have something useful to add.

Yes, it seems some kind of fake supplier which previously supplied kit without issue makes the most sense. Absolutely would be interesting in seeing BG’s take on this. He has been absent for awhile now.