How hi-tech Hezbollah called the shots

[donsu]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HI09Ak01.html

Hezbollah's ability to repel the Israel Defense Forces during the recent conflict was largely due to its use of intelligence techniques gleaned from allies Iran and Syria that allowed it to monitor encoded Israeli communications relating to battlefield actions, according to Israeli officials, whose claims have been independently corroborated by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

"Israeli EW systems were unable to jam the systems at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, they proved unable to jam Hezbollah's command and control links from Lebanon to Iranian facilities in Syria, they blocked the Barak ship anti-missile systems, and they hacked into Israeli operations communications in the field," Richard Sale, the longtime intelligence editor for United Press International, who was alerted to this intelligence failure by current and former CIA officials, told Asia Times Online.

-snip-

A London Sunday Times article titled "Humbling of the super-troops shatters Israeli army morale" reported the story last week. It stated that Hezbollah was "able to crack the codes and follow the fast-changing frequencies of Israeli radio communications, intercepting reports of the casualties they had inflicted again and again".

The development marks a potential turning point in the region's strategic balance. Hezbollah's ability to repel Israel's elite troops marked the first time that an Arab force had frustrated a concerted invasion scenario by Israel. This has led to a concerted rethink on the part of the Israeli leadership, in which it is being assisted by American experts, according to Israeli intelligence website DEBKAfile.

-snip-


"It may mean that the US and Israel no longer have the ability to operate at lower levels of violence on a supreme basis," said a Middle East analyst. "The playing field is more leveled. This may mean more diplomacy or it may mean more, and more concentrated, violence."
-snip-
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it probably will mean the bushmilhousegang will use bigger, depleted uranium poisoned, bombs that will leave lasting deadly effects.

if you want to fight the bushmilhousegang you have to keep our planes on the ground.

[donsu]

1. kicking back to page 1

nt

[oblivious]

2. I love it. A few low-cost teckies make billions of hi-tech worthless.

"It goes to the heart of one of the factors ... routinely regarded as one of the clear advantages for all First World versus Third World nations or forces - electronic warfare and secure communications," said Gary Sick, who was national security adviser under US president Jimmy Carter. "We are supposed to be able to read and interfere with their communications, not vice versa. A lot of calculations are based on that premise."

[bemildred]

3. I find some of this questionable.

Not all of it, but overall it smells of disinformation. The particular parts I find questionable are the stuff about "jamming" or "being unable to jam", and the comments about more "concentrated violence". The stuff about hacking cell phone calls seems reasonable (in theory). The fact that the sources for this are the IDF, the CIA, and Debka does not fill me with confidence. Meaning no disrespect, but they would all lie at the drop of a hat to spread propaganda or disinformation, and it beggars description to claim that these fellows would be eager to spread this information around if it were true. It falls in the category of not giving ones enemies any useful clues.

[pelsar]

4. let me get this straight....

the CIA, and IDF are explaining who wonderful the Hizballa jamming, anti jamming equipment and abilities are...hmmm since they're all made in russia and/or iran (or reversed engineered).....i have to once again agree that ones confidence in the their statements strikes me as something out of the "cold war".....whatever they'res saying and to whom is their target audience, it sure aint me.....

one bit is true, prewar, Hizballa would listen in on the IDF border patrols reports, but thats hardly a big deal since they were on "open lines", sometimes they would "speak up and send a hello to the new commander of a reserve unit.

[bemildred]

5. Always a pleasure when we can agree ... nt

[malaise]

6. Very interesting n/t

[Igel]

7. "Gleaned."

Interesting choice of words.

Profoundly misleading, of course. But interesting.

My son "gleaned" the applesauce this morning, the Asia Times would, no doubt, report. In other words, he opened his mouth when we presented him with applesauce on a spoon.