India’s army chief under fire for supporting Israel’s illegal booby-trap attacks
New Delhi: India’s Chief of Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, is under fire for praising Israel’s use of booby-trap weapons in Lebanon, calling it a “masterstroke” during a TV interview.
According to Kashmir Media Service, this endorsement raises eyebrows, exposing India’s true position on use of such weapons despite being a signatory to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) of 1981. The CCW prohibits the use of booby-trap weapons, and India ratified the convention in 1984.
General Dwivedi’s comments were made during a TV interview with with Firstpost’s Managing Editor, Palki Sharma on October 1, 2024, where he applauded Israel’s tactics in targeting Hezbollah militants using exploding pagers and walkie-talkies.
General Dwivedi has actually gone to praise the methods adopted by Israel to carry out its terrorist attacks as a “masterstroke”. He failed to acknowledge the civilian casualties and international condemnation surrounding these attacks.
The United Nations has also denounced Israel’s actions, stating they constitute “terrifying” violations of international law.
Critics argue General Dwivedi’s remarks and raise concerns about the India’s commitment to humanitarian law. The Government of India’s silence on the matter has sparked demands for clarification.
This incident highlights the dangers of state-sponsored disinformation and the blurring of lines between terrorism and legitimate military action.
On 17th September 2024, at around 15.30 hrs local time, thousands of pagers were simultaneously detonated in Lebanon killing 12 people and inflicting injuries on about 3000 others. Outside of Lebanon, 14 people were injured in similar blasts in neighbouring Syria.
