Hezbollah walkie-talkies explode in Lebanon day after pager blasts, 20 killed

At least 20 people were killed and over 450 got injured after walkie-talkies and other electronic devices used by members of Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah exploded on Wednesday in a similar attack that happened yesterday. The fresh attacks come as Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared the start of a “new phase” of war, without directly referring to the blasts in Lebanon.
Explosions were reported in the country’s southern region and suburbs of the capital Beirut. According to Tehran Times, one of the explosions occurred during the funeral procession of Mahdi Ammar, the son of Lebanese MP Ali Ammar. Click here for LIVE Updates.
Videos shared on social media also show vehicles blown up after what is believed to be the result of a walkie-talkie exploding inside them.
Lebanon’s National News Agency also reported that home solar energy systems exploded in several areas of Beirut.
On Tuesday, pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded in Lebanon, resulting in the death of at least 12 people killed and wounding 2,750 others.
Notably, Hezbollah had instructed its members to avoid mobile phones after the Gaza war began in October last year and to rely instead on its own telecommunications system to prevent Israeli breaches. Lebanese internal security forces said a number of wireless communication devices were detonated across the country, especially in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
Hezbollah leadership said it was an “Israeli breach” of its communications.
The walkie-talkies were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time that the pagers were bought, Reuters reported.

People gather as smoke rises from a mobile shop in Sidon, Lebanon September 18, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, reportedly planted explosives inside pagers imported by Hezbollah. A Taiwanese pager maker denied that it had produced the pager devices which exploded in an audacious attack that raised the prospect of a full-scale war between the Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.
Gold Apollo said the devices were made under licence by a company called BAC, based in Hungary’s capital Budapest.
There was no immediate word on when Hezbollah had launched its latest rocket attack, but normally the group announces such strikes shortly after carrying them out, suggesting it fired at the Israeli artillery positions on Wednesday.
Hezbollah said earlier today that it fired rockets at Israeli artillery positions, in retaliation for Tuesday’s pager blasts.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has declared the start of a “new phase” of the war, even as he made no mention of the explosions of electronic devices in Lebanon. Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Gallant praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, saying “the results are very impressive”.