Former CIA Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has described the mass detonation of Hezbollah communication devices, widely attributed to Israel, as “a form of terrorism.” “The ability to be able to place an explosive in technology that is very prevalent these days and turn it into a war of terror. This is something new,” Panetta told CBS. “When you have terror going into the supply chain, it makes people ask the question, ‘What the hell is next?’ This is a tactic that has repercussions, and we really don’t know what those repercussions are going to be,” Panetta continued. The former CIA chief suggested that the current dynamics in the region are being dominated by “the forces of war,” and warned of the unpredictability of future developments. When pressed on whether the United States should condemn Israel for the operation, Panetta avoided a direct answer. Instead, he called for a global discussion on the issue. “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 word, it is the battlefield of the future,” Panetta said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)