There's more: Walkie-talkies explode across Lebanon killing nine and injuring 300 in new attack
At least nine people have been killed and more than 300 injured after walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded in Lebanon a day after a similar attack left thousands wounded.
Explosions broke out in multiple regions of the country, including at a funeral in southern Beirut being held for an eight-year-old boy and three Hezbollah members killed in Tuesday's attack.
A Hezbollah official said walkie-talkies used by the group exploded as part of blasts heard across Beirut.
Soon after the explosion Israel's defence minister declared the start of a “new phase” of the war as his country turned towards focusing on Lebanon and Hezbollah.
Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Yoav Gallant made no mention of the explosions of electronic devices in Lebanon in recent days. But he praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, saying "the results are very impressive."
He said that after months of war against Hamas militants in Gaza, "the centre of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces.”
"We are at the start of a new phase in the war - it requires courage, determination and perseverance," he said.
Israel’s army chief also said they had drawn up new plans to strike Hezbollah.
Israel has refused to comment on whether it was behind the pager attacks but Hezbollah and Iran have both blamed them.
ITV News International Editor Emma Murphy said the funeral was coming to an end and a group of young Scouts had just formed to lead the procession of coffins when the explosion happened a few metres from where they stood.
She said a hand was blown off and panicking people began screaming to turn off all their devices.
The blasts come a day after an apparent Israeli attack, which saw 12 people, including two children, killed and nearly 3,000 people wounded as pagers used by Hezbollah exploded.
The newly delivered pagers were given to Hezbollah to help communicate without using telecommunications that could be intercepted by Israel.
The US said it had no knowledge of the pager attack which saw the devices used by Hezbollah militants explode in Lebanon and parts of Syria.
Asked about the attack at a press conference on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "The United States did not know about, nor was it involved in these incidents, and we’re still gathering the information and gathering the facts.
"Broadly speaking, we’ve been very clear and we remain very clear, about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we’re trying to resolve in Gaza.
"It’s clearly not in the interest of anyone involved to see that happen, and that’s why again, it’s imperative that all parties refrain from any actions that could escalate the conflict."
Earlier UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, denounced the attack and warned that it marks an “extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context".
The explosions came amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, who have exchanged fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the October 7 attack by Hamas.
The pagers that blew up were apparently acquired by Hezbollah after the group’s leader ordered members in February to stop using mobile phones, warning they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence.
A Hezbollah official told the Associated Press the pagers were a new brand, but declined to say how long they had been in use.
Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, whose AR-924 pagers were linked to those used by Hezbollah, said BAC Consulting KFT, a Budapest-based company, manufactured them.
“According to the cooperation agreement, we authorise BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC,” the company said in a statement.
BAC is yet to issue a statement.
At about 3:30pm local time on Tuesday, as people shopped for groceries, sat in cafes or drove cars and motorcycles in the afternoon traffic, the pagers in their hands or pockets started heating up and then exploding.
Members of Hezbollah and the Iranian ambassador were among those injured.
It was not immediately clear if non-Hezbollah members also carried any of the exploding pagers.
Earlier Hezbollah said at least eight of the dead belonged to the group, but it is not clear if this number has since changed as the official death toll rose from nine to 12.
Lebanese health minister Firas Abiad said an unspecified number of healthcare workers were also killed and that two-thirds of the wounded needed hospital treatment.
He said the scale of the incident was far greater than the thousands wounded in the massive Beirut Port explosion in 2020, and that most of those wounded were in Beirut and its southern suburbs.
One of those killed was the son of a Hezbollah member in Parliament, according to the Hezbollah official who spoke anonymously.
“We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians,” Hezbollah said, adding that Israel will “for sure get its just punishment”.
Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country’s ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was superficially wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated at a hospital.
Iran, one of Hezbollah's primary supporters, has accused the US and its allies of backing the attack.
“Using devices, made for welfare of human beings, as a tool for assassination and annihilation of those who don’t hold the same views of the US, Israel and the West is an indication of the collapse of humanity as well domination of savagery and barbarism," President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a statement.
“The incident once again showed that Western nations and Americans fully support crime, killings and blind assassinations by the Zionist regime, in practice.”
Iran has already sent a group of Iranian medics to Lebanon to help victims of the explosions.
While Israel has not claimed responsibility, a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that Israel had briefed the United States after the attack.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
Hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel have been killed in clashes across the border since October 7, which have also displaced tens of thousands on both sides.
Speaking to the AP after his son, Mahdi, was killed on Tuesday, prominent Hezbollah politician Ali Ammar said: “This is a new Israeli aggression against Lebanon. The resistance will retaliate in a suitable way at the suitable time.”
Israel said on Tuesday that stopping Hezbollah’s attacks in the north to allow residents to return to their homes is now an official goal.
Lufthansa suspended all flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran in response to the explosions.
The airline said all flights to and from those airports would be cancelled and routes would bypass Israeli and Iranian airspace up to and including September 19.
Israel’s military said they had intercepted two suspicious drones that approached Israel from Lebanon and Iraq on Wednesday morning.
It said one drone was launched from Lebanon over the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of northern Israel, while another was launched from Iraq and intercepted by Israeli fighter jets. No injuries or damage was reported.
Israel also began moving more troops to the northern border with Lebanon in preparation for a possible retaliation.
A UK FCDO spokesperson said: “We continue to monitor the situation in Lebanon closely and the UK is working with diplomatic and humanitarian partners in the region. The civilian casualties following these explosions are deeply distressing. We urge calm heads and de-escalation at this critical time.”
The Foreign Office also updated its travel advice to include information on the explosion of communication devices, saying British nationals in Lebanon should exercise caution and that hospitals may be very busy.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged Britons to leave Lebanon several weeks ago, saying that they risk “becoming trapped in a warzone” if they fail to do so.
Statistics: Posted by EnterpriseSovereign — 2024-09-18 01:34pm