A second wave of explosions from devices killed nine people and injured over 300 in Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon on Wednesday, officials reported, raising fears of a potential full-scale war in the region.
According to a source close to Hezbollah, walkie-talkies used by its members exploded in its Beirut stronghold, with state media noting similar incidents in southern and eastern Lebanon. AFPTV footage captured people scrambling for safety when one explosion occurred during a funeral for Hezbollah militants in southern Beirut in the afternoon.
The Health Ministry confirmed that nine people lost their lives, and over 100 were injured in these latest attacks. The devices targeted were identified as walkie-talkies.
This wave of explosions followed an earlier attack, where hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah exploded simultaneously, killing 12, including two children, and injuring up to 2,800 people across Lebanon in what has been described as an unprecedented assault, allegedly carried out by Israel.
Israel has remained silent on the explosions, although the country had earlier announced an escalation in its military objectives, including its fight against Hezbollah, which is aligned with Hamas in the ongoing conflict.
“The focus is shifting north, and resources are being allocated to this front,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated during a visit to an airbase on Wednesday. “We are entering a new phase of the war.”
Meanwhile, Hezbollah held Israel accountable for the attacks, vowing to retaliate. Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib condemned the “blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and security,” warning it could signal a broader conflict.
Hospitals in Hezbollah-controlled areas struggled to cope with the sudden influx of casualties. Dr Joelle Khadra at a Beirut hospital said the injuries primarily involved severe damage to hands and eyes, with some patients suffering finger amputations and permanent vision loss.
Analysts speculated that Israeli operatives might have planted explosives in the devices before they were delivered to Hezbollah. Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute suggested, “This was more than just a battery malfunction – small explosives were likely concealed alongside the batteries for remote detonation.”
Among the victims was a 10-year-old girl, the daughter of a Hezbollah member, who was killed when her father’s pager exploded in eastern Lebanon. Iran’s ambassador to Beirut, Mojataba Amani, who was also injured, called the incident “a horrific terrorist crime” and expressed pride in having “bled alongside the Lebanese.”
A Lebanese investigation confirmed that the pagers had been booby-trapped with explosive materials. Hezbollah sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that the devices were recently imported and appeared to have been “tampered with at the source.”
Reports surfaced that the pagers were ordered from a Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo, though the devices were manufactured by its Hungarian partner, BAC Consulting KFT. Hungary’s government clarified that the company merely served as a trading intermediary with no manufacturing facilities in the country.
As tensions escalated, airlines such as Lufthansa and Air France suspended flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran, and Beirut until Thursday. Since the outbreak of the war in October, the conflict between Hezbollah and Israeli forces has claimed hundreds of lives on both sides and displaced thousands from their homes.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to convene on Friday to discuss the ongoing violence, as international concern over the regional fallout continues to grow.
AFP
