.Israel Calls Gazans Before Bombing
Nobody likes getting cell phone messages from strange callers. Especially not when the callers say they're about to level your house.
But residents of Gaza say those are exactly the kind of messages they're getting from the Israel Defense Forces.
According to Ha'Aretz, "Palestinians reported that in some cases, the caller leaves a message on their voice mail warning that the IDF will bomb any house where weapons are rockets are found and the owners of the houses will be the ones to suffer the consequences."
Ha'Aretz says the calls are "a new tactic meant to reduce civilian casualties." And that may be one functions of the messages. But it seems to be that the calls also serve as a mighty effective psychological operation -- one that's very much in keeping with Israel's high-tech approach to the information war.
During the 2006 war with Hezbollah, Israelis used text messages to warn residents of incoming rockets. Last week, as the airstrikes against Hamas began, "thousands of Gazans received Arabic-language cell-phone messages from the Israeli military, urging them to leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons," according to the AP.
And the Israelis aren't the only ones trying to use cell phones as a military advantage. Hamas has been sending Hebrew-language text messages to Israelis' phones, warning them that "all cities" will be threatened by the terror group's rocket attacks.
Wired
But residents of Gaza say those are exactly the kind of messages they're getting from the Israel Defense Forces.
According to Ha'Aretz, "Palestinians reported that in some cases, the caller leaves a message on their voice mail warning that the IDF will bomb any house where weapons are rockets are found and the owners of the houses will be the ones to suffer the consequences."
Ha'Aretz says the calls are "a new tactic meant to reduce civilian casualties." And that may be one functions of the messages. But it seems to be that the calls also serve as a mighty effective psychological operation -- one that's very much in keeping with Israel's high-tech approach to the information war.
During the 2006 war with Hezbollah, Israelis used text messages to warn residents of incoming rockets. Last week, as the airstrikes against Hamas began, "thousands of Gazans received Arabic-language cell-phone messages from the Israeli military, urging them to leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons," according to the AP.
And the Israelis aren't the only ones trying to use cell phones as a military advantage. Hamas has been sending Hebrew-language text messages to Israelis' phones, warning them that "all cities" will be threatened by the terror group's rocket attacks.
Wired
posted by madtom at 1:18 AM
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