In a series of devastating incidents across Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, nine people have lost their lives due to explosions involving walkie-talkies. This follows a previous day when pager explosions resulted in twelve fatalities and over 2,800 injuries throughout the country.
The exact number of walkie-talkies that detonated remains unclear, with reports indicating that landline telephones are also exploding in various locations in East Lebanon.
The fresh blasts occurred in southern Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut, with at least one explosion reported near a Hezbollah-organized funeral for victims of the pager blasts.
Iran-backed Hezbollah said today that it attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets in the first strike at its arch-rival since pager blasts wounded thousands of its members in Lebanon and raised the prospect of a wider Middle East war.
According to a senior Lebanese security source, Israel’s Mossad agency is suspected of planting explosives in the pagers imported by Hezbollah months prior to the detonations. Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad confirmed the death toll from the pager blasts, stating that twelve people, including a young girl, were killed, and around 2,800 were injured, with over 200 in critical condition.
Hezbollah has accused Israel of orchestrating these attacks, labeling them as a significant breach of its security. The group has vowed to retaliate, asserting that the explosions are part of a larger conflict involving their support for Hamas, which has been engaged in war with Israel since October 2023.
Initial reports suggested that the pagers were manufactured by a Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo, but the company has denied this, stating that the devices were produced under a license by a Budapest-based firm named BAC. While Israel has not officially commented on the explosions, it has indicated an expansion of its military operations to include Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has condemned the incidents as a “massacre” and has declared Israel fully responsible for these attacks. The group has stated its commitment to supporting Hamas in Gaza and warned that Israel should prepare for a response to the violence against its members.
