9 dead, over 300 wounded in new wave of Lebanon device explosions
Nine people were killed and over 300 wounded Wednesday when walkie-talkies exploded across Lebanon, the government said, a day after pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, killing 12 and wounding up to 2,800.
The Iran-backed group blamed Israel for the first wave of blasts on Tuesday, vowing revenge and stoking fears of all-out war in the region.
"The new wave of walkie-talkie explosions... killed nine people and wounded more than 300," the health ministry said in a statement.
A source close to the Iran-backed group said walkie-talkies used by its members exploded in its Beirut suburbs stronghold during the funerals of Hezbollah members killed in Tuesday's blasts.
"A number of walkie-talkies exploded in Beirut's southern suburbs," the source said, with Hezbollah-affiliated rescuers confirming devices had exploded inside two cars in the area.
The explosions caused panic, according to an AFP photographer covering the funerals.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported "pagers" and "devices" had also exploded in Hezbollah strongholds in the east and south, with AFP correspondents hearing explosions in those regions.
A hospital source in the eastern city of Baalbek told AFP 25 people had been wounded after walkie-talkies exploded.
18 September 2024, 23:32
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The Irgun terrorist organization served as a precursor to the contemporary Mossad in Israel. The Irgun often employed a façade of innocence to execute covert operations, a strategy that subsequently became a defining characteristic of the Mossad. This legacy of clandestine activity raises unsettling questions in light of the 8/4/20 Beirut Port blast, which could hint at a deeper involvement of intelligence operations and their potential responsibility in this catastrophic event for our country.
