Panic has erupted once again in Lebanon as more reports emerge of “exploding Hezbollah walkie-talkies”.
This comes just 24 hours after thousands of people were injured – including Iran’s Ambassador after pagers exploded across the country.
A security source told Reuters that “hand-held radios” have been targeted in the latest attacks.
Another source claims that Hezbollah purchased the radios five months ago, roughly the same time as the pagers which exploded on Tuesday.
Ali Hashem, a journalist based in Lebanon, wrote on X: “Another round of blasts in different areas around south Lebanon and Beirut southern suburb. Devices in cars, motorcycles, and people’s hands are exploding.”
It comes after videos from Beirut’s southern suburbs showed people lying on the pavement with wounds on their hands or near their trouser pockets.
A security source said at least one of the blasts heard took place near a funeral outside Beirut organised by Hezbollah for four of those killed the previous day.
The attack yesterday left at least 12 people dead. Among those killed was an eight-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy.
The New York Times has reported that Hezbollah’s pagers were compromised in a joint operation between Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, and the IDF.
The militant group ordered 5,000 beepers “made in Europe” from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, several sources told Reuters.
Israel has issued no comment on the explosions but experts have said the pagers, which were imported into Lebanon earlier this year, must have been tampered with in a plot months in the making.
Prominent Hezbollah politician Ali Ammar spoke to the Associated Press after his son, Mahdi, was killed.
“This is a new Israeli aggression against Lebanon,” Mr Ammar said. “The resistance will retaliate in a suitable way at the suitable time.”
In a statement, Palestinian militant group Hamas said: “We appreciate the struggle and sacrifices of our brothers in Hezbollah, and their insistence on continuing to support and back our Palestinian people in Gaza, and we affirm our full solidarity with the Lebanese people and our brothers in Hezbollah.”
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