Ex-CIA chief: Pager blasts in Lebanon are ‘terrorism’

Former CIA director Leon Panetta labeled last week’s deadly pager explosions in Lebanon a form of “terrorism.”

“I don’t think there’s any question that it’s a form of terrorism,” Panetta said on “CBS News Sunday morning.”

“This is going right into the supply chain,” he added. “And when you have terror going into the supply chain, it makes people ask the question: ‘What the hell is next?’”

Last week, pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded in Lebanon, killing dozens of people and injuring thousands. Leaders of the Lebanese militant group, which is backed by Iran, blamed the explosions on Israel’s Mossad intelligence organization.

“This is a tactic that has repercussions. And we really don’t know what those repercussions are going to be,” Panetta told anchor Lee Cohan in remarks highlighted by Mediaite. “The forces of war are largely in control right now.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) condemned Israel over the pager explosions, saying the incident “unequivocally violates international humanitarian law and undermines U.S. efforts to prevent a wider conflict.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that the U.S. was not involved with the pager explosions, nor informed of them in advance.

“We’ve been very clear and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we’re trying to resolve in Gaza,” he said at the time.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said last week that the nation’s forces were entering a “new phase” in the 11-month fight against Hezbollah.

Israel late last week also carried out targeted strikes in Beirut that killed top Hezbollah commanders.

Panetta added during the CBS News interview that the Middle East is at risk of developing into the “battlefield of the future,” and warrants international attention now.

“I think it’s going to be very important for the nations of the world to have a serious discussion about whether or not this is an area that everybody has to focus on, because if they don’t try to deal with it now, mark my words, it is the battlefield of the future.”

Updated at 9:54 a.m. EDT