Exploding Pager Attack on Hezbollah: War Crime or Self-Defense?

In an attack in Lebanon and Syria, pagers used by Hezbollah to communicate exploded. Two waves of pager detonations on Tuesday injured nearly 3,000 people and killed 12, including two children. On Wednesday, some handheld radios also detonated, killing 25 more and injuring 600. 

From the Left: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said, "This attack clearly and unequivocally violates international humanitarian law and undermines US efforts to prevent a wider conflict." An Intercept (Left bias) piece quoted Brian Finucane, a former State Department legal adviser under Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, who said, “Israel may have a right to defend itself, but there are legal restrictions on how it does." The international laws of war, which both Israel and Lebanon have signed, prohibit the “use of booby-traps or other devices in the form of harmless portable objects which are specifically designed and constructed to contain explosive material," he noted. 

From the Right: Commentator Meghan McCain responded to Ocasio-Cortez, saying, "Retaliating against terrorists is not against the law. Save this energy for the hostages, especially the infant babies still being held by Hamas. Because I’m sure that is actually the war crimes." A writer for the New York Post (Lean Right) said "Israel’s daring operation to simultaneously explode pagers in the pockets of Hezbollah terrorists and their associates this week was a ruthless tactical masterstroke."