Lebanon explosion: 14 dead, 450 injured after attack on Hezbollah; walkie talkies, solar panels and radios explode

Hezbollah walkie talkie explosion

The second wave of explosions killed 14 people and injured about 450 Hezbollah There was firing in Lebanon on Wednesday. Lebanese media reported that Walkie Talkies Explosions occurred in three areas owned by Hezbollah members – Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. The National News Agency reported that three people were killed when unidentified devices exploded in the town of Sohmour in the Bekaa Valley. It also reported that solar power systems in homes exploded in several areas, injuring a girl. Intercoms and radios also exploded in several places in Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported.

“Each time we finish a certain phase, the next two phases are ready to move forward in a stronger way,” said Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. “At each stage, the price for Hezbollah must be higher.”

Meanwhile, UN chief Antonio Guterres called for de-escalation, saying “every effort must be made to prevent this escalation.” Guterres described the incident as particularly serious not only because of the large number of victims “but also because there are indications that this incident had already begun – I would say earlier than is normal for these incidents to begin – because there was a risk that it could be detected.”

“Clearly the rationale behind detonating all these devices is to carry out a pre-emptive strike before a major military operation,” the UN chief said. “So as significant as this incident is in itself, it also confirms that there is a serious risk of a dramatic escalation of tensions in Lebanon.”

‘Biggest security breach’

Besides the Bekaa Valley, multiple explosions were reported in Beirut at the funeral site of three Hezbollah members and a child who were killed by a pager explosion a day earlier, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government are blaming Israel for Tuesday’s attack. A senior Lebanese security source and another source told news agency Reuters that Israel’s spy agency Mossad, which has a long history of sophisticated operations on foreign soil, planted explosives inside pagers imported by Hezbollah months before Tuesday’s blasts.

The explosions were described as the biggest security breach faced by the US-designated terrorist group in more than a year of its ongoing conflict with Israel. The blasts caused widespread panic and chaos, with ambulances seen rushing to Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Iranian news reports suggested that Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was also among those injured in a pager explosion in the country. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, which is close to the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, said on its Telegram channel that Ambassador Mojtaba Amani suffered minor injuries and was kept under observation in a hospital. Meanwhile, another semi-official Mehr news agency also reported on its Telegram channel that Amani was injured in a pager explosion.

Witnesses said explosions continued for 30 minutes after the initial blasts, Reuters reports. Residents of the area gathered outside their buildings and looked for friends and family members who may have been injured.

There has been no immediate response from Israel yet. The Jewish state has been engaged in a war with Hamas since October, and Hezbollah has been involved in the Gaza conflict simultaneously.

(with inputs from agencies)