Defense Priorities Defense Priorities
  • Policy Topics
    • Venezuela
    • China
    • Israel-Hamas
    • Ukraine-Russia
    • NATO
    • Syria
  • Analysis
    • Research
    • Q&A
  • Programs
    • Grand Strategy Program
    • Military Analysis Program
    • Asia Program
    • Middle East Program
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Media
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • People
    • Jobs
    • Contact
  • Donate
Select Page
Home / Israel / Is Israel’s pager attack prelude to a full invasion of Lebanon?
Israel, Middle East

September 23, 2024

Is Israel’s pager attack prelude to a full invasion of Lebanon?

By Andrew Latham

In its operations targeting Hezbollah’s communication infrastructure, Israel has disrupted the militant group’s ability to effectively coordinate attacks, sending a powerful message to the fighters entrenched along its northern border. However, this recent campaign raises crucial questions about Israel’s broader strategic goals.

Is this focused assault—through strikes on Hezbollah’s pagers, walkie-talkies and other means of communication—a prelude to a larger ground offensive, or is it simply an attempt to reestablish deterrence without escalating to full-scale war in Lebanon?

Hezbollah relies on relatively rudimentary but critical communication technologies to coordinate military activities across its network of fighters and command centers. By targeting these communication channels, Israel effectively crippled Hezbollah’s command-and-control structure, making it increasingly difficult for the group to execute coordinated attacks and weakening its operational effectiveness.

From one perspective, these strikes may be interpreted as an early stage of a larger, more expansive Israeli military campaign. In modern warfare, disrupting the enemy’s ability to communicate is often the first step in preparing for a ground offensive.

Read at The Hill

Author

Photo of Andrew Latham

Andrew
Latham

Non-Resident Fellow

Defense Priorities

More on Middle East

Press ReleaseMiddle East, Alliances, Diplomacy

Keep the U.S.-Saudi relationship modest

By Rosemary Kelanic

November 19, 2025

op-edMiddle East, Alliances

Saudi Arabia and the U.S. are not allies—no matter what their leaders say

By Daniel DePetris

November 19, 2025

op-edMiddle East

President Donald Trump should tread carefully with Saudi Arabia

By Daniel DePetris

November 18, 2025

op-edMiddle East

Security guarantees can guarantee insecurity

By Adam Gallagher

November 9, 2025

op-edSyria, Middle East

Trump’s Syria strategy might just work

By Daniel DePetris

November 8, 2025

op-edIsrael‑Hamas, Israel, Middle East

Stay cool, Mr Trump

By Daniel DePetris

November 5, 2025

Events on Israel

See All Events
virtualMiddle East, Basing and force posture, Diplomacy, Houthis, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Israel‑Hamas, Military analysis, Syria

Trump in the Middle East: Impacts, implications, and alternatives

May 16, 2025
virtualMiddle East, Alliances, Diplomacy, Israel, Military analysis

Assessing a formal U.S.-Saudi alliance

October 17, 2024

Receive expert foreign policy analysis

Join the hub of realism and restraint

Expert updates and analysis to enhance your understanding of vital U.S. national security issues

Defense Priority Mono Logo

Our mission is to inform citizens, thought leaders, and policymakers of the importance of a strong, dynamic military—used more judiciously to protect America’s narrowly defined national interests—and promote a realistic grand strategy prioritizing restraint, diplomacy, and free trade to ensure U.S. security.

  • Research
  • Experts
  • About
  • For Media
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact
© 2025 Defense Priorities All Right Reserved