Stephen Hoadley: Auckland University International Relations Professor on the explosions in Lebanon

A second wave of explosions have hit Lebanon a day after pagers used by Hezbollah detonated. 

At least 12 people are dead from the pager attacks, while 14 have been killed from exploding walkie talkies today. 

Thousands are injured, and Hezbollah believes Israel is responsible. 

Auckland University international relations professor Stephen Hoadley told Mike Hosking some academics believe the attacks are illegal under international law. 

Hoadley disagrees. 

He says this is war, as the target were Hezbollah fighters, who are pledged to destroy Israel. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So where are we at with the fallout from yesterday's
page attack and hebel are in today's secondary attack on
these walkie talkies. The Israelis are, of course suspected. They've
officially said nothing, but a response must be pending on assuming.
Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at Auckland University,
Stephen Hodley is back with a Stephen morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good morning. Make interesting times.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Isn't it just the fact the Americans weren't clued in
specifically on this? Is this potentially a problem for Israel
and the Yaho if they claim it was them, Well,
if I.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Were a conspiracy e theorists, I would say that Israel's
trying to go the United States into helping Israel. If
Hasbilla attacks Israel in a serious way, it's a kind
of convoluted policy to induce support where it might not
want to be.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
Does hezbela come back this because previously when these things
have happened, there's been plenty of talk and heat, but
at best. I mean, I think back to the drone
situation with the Iranians. They sort of telegraphed it. It
was a kind of a here we go, and it's
over on a sort of pizza.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, my first thought was, this is the preliade to
an attack in southern Lebanon to push the Hesboalav back
to the Litani River under Resolution seventeen oh one. But
apparently not apparently that the army is not mobilizing on
the border. There's still fifty thousand Israelis displaced from their

(01:22):
homes by Hesbelah rockets. This is unfinished business for Israel.
But it looks as if this may have been triggered
by a disclosure that the Hesboalav may have found one
of the devices did have something odd like explosive in
it and it was about to be exposed. So one

(01:43):
theory by the BBC as Israel decided to detonate these
devices rather than have them disarmed before they could be effective.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
So when does this all leave asleep? And I mean
like about a week ago. Yet again we're talking about
the possibility of a ceasefire. I mean that seems completely
out the door.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah, absolutely, yes, Now it leaves us actually nowhere. This
war has been going on since nineteen eighty two. Then
the Israelis invaded Israel in Lebanon, sorry, and Hezbollah was
formed as a kind of militia to quote defend end
quote Lebanon. And so this is just another chapter, a

(02:21):
rather interesting technological chapter in a long saga.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
I'm glad you said that because it allows me to
segue rather awkwardly into what really is and I don't
want to be too macalb about it. How they done
this is little short astonishing, isn't it. I mean, technologically
it's bordering on being genius without using the word incorrectly.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yes, you have to admire the ingenuity of the Israelis
to do this. Because the supply chains started in Taiwan,
went through Hungary. Maybe or maybe not, it was undetected
all these months and weeks. It hits right at the
heart of the communications at work of Hispellah. Yes, we

(03:02):
will look at this with admiration for some time, whether
we agree or not that this is a war crime.
Some academics are saying, look, it's these are booby traps,
illegal under international law. I would say, no, this is war.
The target was combatants. We regret deeply collateral damage and
injury to innocent civilians, But the target was Hisbollah fighters

(03:27):
that are pledged to destroy Israel.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
Good to talk to you as always, Stephen Hadley out
of Oakland University. For more from the Mic Hosking Breakfast,
listen live to news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays,
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