Nine people have lost their lives, and over 300 others have been injured following a series of explosions involving walkie-talkies at Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon. This occurred just a day after pagers exploded across the country, leaving twelve dead and nearly 3,000 injured. The exact number of walkie-talkies involved remains unclear, but there are reports that landline phones also exploded in East Lebanon.
Watch the video here:
#BeirutBlasts: #LebanonExplosion Hit by Series of Hand-Held Radio Explosions as #SolarEnergySystems Detonate – SOUND ON
Explosions are occurring across the country, plunging Lebanon into a state of absolute chaos.#Lebanon#LebanonBlast #Beirut #Israel#جنوب_لبنان pic.twitter.com/BxsZi5rZuH
— know the Unknown (@imurpartha) September 18, 2024
The wireless radios, reportedly bought about five months ago around the same time as the pagers, detonated in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s suburbs. One blast occurred near a funeral for a Hezbollah member killed in the previous day’s pager explosions. A video of this incident has been widely shared on social media.
Hezbollah, backed by Iran, retaliated by launching rockets at Israeli artillery positions, marking its first strike since the pager detonations, which injured thousands of its members and escalated fears of a broader Middle East conflict.
Sources told Reuters that Israel’s Mossad agency planted explosives in the pagers months before Tuesday’s blasts. Lebanon’s Health Minister, Firass Abiad, confirmed that twelve people were killed and around 2,800 were injured, with many in critical condition.
Hezbollah has accused Israel of orchestrating the attacks, calling it the “biggest security breach” it has faced. The group vowed to retaliate, continuing its support for Hamas in Gaza, and warned Israel to expect a response for the “massacre.”
Reports initially linked the pagers to a Taiwanese company, but the firm, Gold Apollo, denied involvement, stating that the devices were made under license by BAC, a Budapest-based company. Israel has not commented on the explosions, but earlier declared its intention to broaden the war with Hamas to include Hezbollah.
