Afrasianet - Muhammad Ali Snoubry - Trust in the West without careful examination of the implications of that trust has already led to a lot of bloodshed. This incident is a wake-up call, a call to reassess how foreign goods and technologies are integrated into the fabric of society.
The tragic events in Lebanon are starkly reminiscent of the complexities and risks inherent in the global exchange of technology and goods. The devastation wrought by the explosion of telecommunications equipment, which has resulted in the death and injury of many innocent people, is rooted in broader geopolitical entanglements.
At the heart of this incident lies the deep distrust and manipulation of Western products by the Zionist entity and its Western partners. The Lebanese people have once again borne the brunt of yet another act of terrorism that points to long-standing suspicions that Western intelligence agencies and companies are involved in exploiting technological tools for the purposes of terrorizing and killing innocent peoples.
Historical similarities
In the eighties, during the height of the conflict between Lebanon and the occupying entity, there were numerous reports of the use of telecommunications equipment in assassination plots. The assassination of Sheikh Sobhi al-Saleh, a prominent leader of the Lebanese resistance, was one case in point.
During that period, Israeli intelligence agencies were repeatedly accused of using sophisticated technological devices originally intended for civilian communications to track, target, and eliminate resistance figures. Now, similar accusations are being raised again in Lebanon, where recent explosions of telecommunications equipment have sparked long-standing concerns about foreign interference and covert operations.
The fact that telecommunications devices, which are everywhere in the hands of ordinary citizens such as doctors, engineers and security personnel, were equipped with explosives, is worrying, as these devices were freely bought and sold in the Lebanese market without any clear signs of tampering. However, the catastrophic result of its explosion indicates a deliberate and organized attempt to sow chaos and destruction in Lebanon. This has already been done by targeting innocent people.
The West's role in supplying technology
A crucial aspect of this tragedy is the role Western governments and companies play in supplying technology to conflict-ridden regions. Although the communication devices that exploded were of Taiwanese origin, Western complicity hangs over the situation. Motorola, an American company operating globally, has previously faced scrutiny for misusing its products in conflict zones. Moreover, French subsidiaries of Motorola have also come
under scrutiny for their involvement in manipulating devices via Supply chains.
The central question that arises here is: How much responsibility do these companies bear for the misuse of their products? It is clear today that Western companies, especially French companies, allow Israeli intelligence services to use their goods to achieve terrorist and security objectives in Lebanon and other countries.
Accordingly, there is a moral and legal imperative to hold them accountable. Failure to act in such cases would signal a serious betrayal of the values that these companies and governments claim to uphold. It is not enough to pretend to be ignorant or hide behind the complexities of international trade, but accountability.
The danger of blind trust
At the heart of the current anger lies misplaced trust in Western goods, and thus in Western governments. The assumption that products designed for civilian use, such as communications equipment, are inherently safe, has been shattered. This incident, like others in the past, exposes the fragility of this trust. The association of French and American companies with such events only deepens the sense of betrayal felt by the Lebanese people and others across the region.
This tragic episode highlights the broader issue of how Western media, especially platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook, can be used to endanger civilian lives. In particular, the Zionist entity has been accused of using these platforms to locate and identify resistance figures and civilians alike.
The manipulation of communication platforms is not just an invasion of privacy, it poses a direct threat to human life. Civilians are the most vulnerable, and their reliance on these platforms for daily communications puts them at greater risk. The West, which claims to defend the cause of human rights and technological innovation, must confront the fact that its products, companies, and platforms are being used as tools of violence and repression in places like Lebanon.
It is not enough to summon the French ambassador or demand answers from Western governments, but the Lebanese people, and others affected by these tragedies, must take concrete action. Among these actions is a call for a boycott of French and Western goods. Although boycotts are often seen as symbolic gestures, in this case they carry considerable weight; by rejecting products from Western companies that have been associated with acts of violence and terrorism. Against our peoples, consumers can send a clear message that they will no longer tolerate complicity in the suffering of innocent people.
Moreover, this boycott must extend beyond mere economic transactions, but must become a broader cultural and political movement that challenges the West's involvement in the Zionist entity's genocidal wars against the peoples of the Middle East.
Lebanon and other affected countries must reconsider their dependence on Western technology and goods, especially in the context of ongoing conflicts. Trust in the West without careful examination of the implications of that trust has already led to a lot of bloodshed. This incident is a wake-up call, a call to reassess how foreign goods and technologies are integrated into the fabric of society, especially in areas of political and military tension.
In conclusion, events in Lebanon are tragically reminiscent of the cost of mistrust of Western goods and the broader geopolitical powers that play a role. The Lebanese people, like many others, are trapped in a web of technological manipulation, intelligence operations, and international trade that often places profit and power above human life. While investigations into the specific details of this incident are ongoing, the broader lessons are clear: there can be no blind trust. Accountability must be demanded at all levels.
The time for complacency is over. The people of Lebanon, and all those affected by such tragedies, must take their own destiny into their own hands by rejecting the goods and technologies used against them. Only through a united collective effort can the cycle of violence be broken and the real perpetrators held accountable.
The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Al-Mayadeen, but rather the opinion of the author exclusively.
Director and Editor-in-Chief of the New Vision Center for Strategic Studies