The mass explosion of pagers belonging to members of the militant group Hezbollah last week has a former CIA director decrying “terrorism.”
But Leon Panetta, who also served as secretary of defense, was not referring to activities attributed to the Iran-back Shiite group, but to Israel who many believe was behind the coordinated explosion of pagers and walkie-talkies in parts of Lebanon and Syria.
“The ability to be able to place an explosive in technology that is very prevalent these days. And turn it into a war of terror. Really, a war of terror. This is something new,” Panetta told anchor Lee Cowan in a “CBS News Sunday Morning” interview.
“Is it terrorism?” Cowan asked.
“I don’t think there’s any question that it’s a form of terrorism,” Panetta replied. “This is going right into the supply chain, right into the supply chain. And when you have terror going into the supply chain, it makes people ask the question, what the hell is next?”
“It sounds like you’re genuinely worried,” Cowan said.
“I am. I am. This is a tactic. That has repercussions. And we really don’t know what those repercussions are going to be…The forces of war are largely in control right now. What’s going on?” the former CIA director responded.
“Do you think there should be condemnation for it? Should other nations step in, including us?” Cowan pressed.
“I think it’s going to be very important for the nations of the world to have a serious discussion about whether or not this is an area that everybody has to focus on,” Panetta replied.
“Because if they don’t try to deal with it now, mark my word, it is the battlefield of the future,” he added.
