STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The explosions in Lebanon are the latest in a series of attacks attributed to Israel.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
And Israel has a long history of covert operations like this.
INSKEEP: NPR's Greg Myre has been following that aspect. In fact, he's been covering the region for decades. Greg, I don't mean to make you sound old, but I appreciate your experience. Good morning to you.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Thanks, Steve.
INSKEEP: Israel, in this attack, is doing something distinctive. I mean, they're effectively saying, we're in your hands. We're in your pockets. But how does this fit in with other attacks over the years?
MYRE: Well, since the beginning of this year, Israel has been blamed for the targeted killings of senior figures in Hezbollah, in the Palestinian group Hamas, and in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Now, these attacks were all in places where leaders in those groups thought they were relatively well protected - in offices in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, a diplomatic compound in Syria's capital, Damascus, a government guest house in Iran's capital, Tehran.
INSKEEP: Right.
MYRE: So, as you noted, Israel hasn't commented and is not talking about these latest attacks, either. However, a U.S. official in Washington who spoke on condition of anonymity, told NPR that Israel has told the U.S. it was responsible.
INSKEEP: OK, so what's some of the longer history of Israeli hi-tech attacks?
MYRE: Well, Steve, a good place to start is 1996. Israel wanted to eliminate the main Hamas bombmaker in Gaza, Yahya Ayyash. Israel found a way to put an explosive device in a cell phone, then figured out a way to give him the phone without him knowing the source. When he answered a call, it exploded and killed him. This kind of operation was entirely new and quite dramatic at the time. But now we've seen variations on this method for nearly three decades with Israel using phones and other electronic devices to eavesdrop, to surveil, and to kill its enemies, and in places where its security forces just can't go.
INSKEEP: OK, so from Israel's perspective, these attacks work. They hit their targets. They have a great psychological power. You think the Israelis are everywhere. But in the wider sense, do they serve a strategic goal of advancing Israel's interests?
MYRE: Well, you know, it's probably hard to answer that definitively, but on the balance, it hasn't had a definitive impact ending or resolving a conflict. These operations reflect the very high level of technical expertise and human intelligence that Israel has in its security forces and in neighboring countries. And what's happened in Lebanon the past couple of days is something we just haven't seen before. These operations in the past have been the combined work of the military and the Israeli intelligence services, Shin Bet and Mossad. And y et, Israel is still fighting the same battle with its neighbors that date back decades. And many analysts will simply say, there's no real military solution here. There will have to be a political solution.
INSKEEP: OK, well, let's talk about where this war might go next. We heard yesterday from our colleague Daniel Estrin that Hezbollah might not respond immediately. They're going to need time to recover. That turns out to be the case. In fact, they've been attacked again. But Hezbollah talks of responding. What might we expect from them?
MYRE: Well, Hezbollah is threatening a strong response. They have this huge arsenal of rockets and missiles, but this has been a substantial blow. Israel has knocked out their communication systems. Also, Hezbollah has been signaling that it doesn't want a full-scale war, which could devastate an already-weak Lebanon. So another possibility is it might not escalate. We should note Israel has carried out these highly provocative attacks for months, and it has not led to a wider regional war. The fighting has essentially carried on at roughly the same level.
INSKEEP: NPR's Greg Myre - thanks as always for your insight, sir.
MYRE: Thanks, Steve. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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