Piers Morgan in 2024. Credit: U.K Prime Minister’s Office/No. 10 Downing via Wikimedia Commons.
An exchange on the X social-media platform brought to light some knowledge gaps regarding Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
A recent episode of “60 Minutes” revealed details about the pager operation by the Israel Defense forces against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which injured more than 2,700 terrorists and killed nine. The operation apparently took 10 years to plan and execute.
In response, British broadcaster and media personality Piers Morgan asked why Israel could not replicate these results against Hamas in Gaza. “Mind-bogglingly extraordinary … though it does beg the question: If Mossad could do this to decapitate Hezbollah, why could they not have done something similar with Hamas?” he posted on X.
John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute, responded on X: “That is actually very easy to answer.”
“The context of the operating environment is night and day,” Spencer posted. “Hezbollah lives in a diverse multicultural society of Lebanon with their fighters having varying ranges of commitment, making it easier to infiltrate and use a variety of types of intelligence methods.”
He continued, explaining that “Hamas controls power in a homogenous radicalized society where Israel completely left in 2005. Israel took a containment strategy to Hamas, leaving them to govern Gaza. The national security and resource priority for Israel was Iran and then the massive army of Hezbollah. After Oct. 7, Israel had to approach Gaza as contested enemy terrain with little to no infiltrations into Hamas. The pager operation was over a decade of Mossad work.”
That is actually very easy to answer @piersmorgan The context of the operating environment night and day. Hezbollah lives in a diverse multicultural society of Lebanon and their fighters having varying ranges of commitment making it easier to infiltrate and use a variety of types… https://t.co/pTHkMBh7fc
— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) December 23, 2024
Spencer added that he would be “more than happy to discuss” as part of Morgan’s show Israel’s options and operations in Gaza following the Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Many applauded Spencer’s response and slammed Morgan.
“I have no military experience (much less the expertise of John) and pretty much understand this so clearly that the question even surprises me. Do better, Piers,” wrote Dov Hikind, a former New York state assemblyman.
“Once again, Piers Morgan shows incredible naivete about Gaza and Hamas,” wrote U.K. grassroots organization North West Friends of Israel.
Morgan has hosted several anti-Israel and antisemitic guests on his program, including Roger Waters, who denied that Hamas terrorists used sexual violence during their terror attack on Oct. 7, although Morgan quickly corrected him.