Hezbollah walkie-talkie blasts: 20 dead in new wave of explosions as Israel blamed for pager attack
Israel declares ‘new phase’ of war as 32 killed and 3,450 injured in two days of attacks targeting Hezbollah hardware
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Twenty people have been killed and at least 450 have been injured after a second day of explosions in Beirut and other cities in Lebanon, after hand-held walkie-talkie devices detonated.
At least one of the blasts reportedly took place near a funeral organised by Iran-backed Hezbollah for those killed the previous day when thousands of pagers used by the group exploded across the country.
While Israel have not confirmed they are behind the attack, their defence minister told troops that they were at the “start of a new phase in the war”, and would be shifting focus to their northern border.
Meanwhile, US officials said that Israel decided to blow up the pager devices on carried by militia group Hezbollah earlier than planned over fears the operation would be discovered.
12 people including two children were killed and nearly 3,000 were wounded after the handheld devices simultaneously detonated across Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday afternoon.
“It was a use it or lose it moment,” one US official told Axios about the reasoning Israel gave the Washington for the timing of the attack.
The Iran-backed militant group has vowed to retaliate against Israel, whose military declined to comment on the blasts.
At least 20 dead as walkie-talkies explode in Lebanon as Israel declares ‘new phase of war’ against Hezbollah
A war with Hezbollah may be looming. Is Israel prepared?
From booby-trapped walkie-talkies to exploding pagers – could our phones and cars be next?
Everything we know about the Hezbollah device explosions – and the questions that remain
Hezbollah pager attack mapped: Where did the explosions take place?
UN Security Council to meet over pager blasts
World leaders are gearing up for a pivotal meeting at the United Nations next week, with over 130 leaders expected to attend.
The gathering comes at a critical time, as conflicts in the Middle East and Europe threaten to spread, and frustration mounts over the slow pace of efforts to resolve them. The wars in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan are expected to take centre stage, dominating the annual high-level UN General Assembly.
Diplomats and analysts are tempered in their expectations, warning that breakthroughs are unlikely.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has expressed concern that the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine are “stuck with no peaceful solutions in sight”.
The situation in the Middle East is further complicated by escalating tensions in Lebanon, where Hezbollah has accused Israel of carrying out a wave of deadly attacks.
“There is a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon, and everything must be done to avoid that escalation,” Mr Guterres told reporters on Wednesday.
Taiwanese company Gold Apollo denies making pagers used in Lebanon attack
Taiwanese electronics maker Gold Apollo has denied producing the pagers used in Tuesday’s deadly attack in Lebanon, which killed at least nine people and injured nearly 3,000.
Gold Apollo founder and president Hsu Ching-Kuang said the devices were manufactured by BAC Consulting, a company based in Budapest, Hungary, licensed to use the Taiwanese brand.
“The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it,” Mr Hsu said.
Read the full article here:
The Taiwanese company at the center of Hezbollah pager attack in Lebanon
Gold Apollo claims beepers were actually made by Hungary-based BAC Consulting
Walkie-talkie blasts across Lebanon target Hezbollah strongholds
A series of explosions rocked southern Lebanon and Beirut on Wednesday, sparking chaos and panic in areas known to be Hezbollah strongholds.
The blasts have been attributed to exploding walkie-talkies, and came just a day after pager devices used by Hezbollah detonated across both Lebanon and Syria.
The walkie-talkie blasts, which occurred in the afternoon were reported across various suburbs of Beirut as well as in the southern city of Tyre.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of destruction, with vehicles on fire and smoke billowing from residential areas. Al Jazeera correspondent Ali Hashem witnessed one car explode during a funeral in southern Lebanon, suggesting that the blast came from within the vehicle, rather than it being struck by a drone.
Affected Areas:
- Southern suburbs of Beirut, areas where Hezbollah is known to have a strong presence - Southern city of Tyre - Residential areas and during a funeral procession in southern Lebanon
Voices: What has boobytrapping Hezbollah’s pagers actually achieved?
The audacious attack was a PR coup for Israel and humiliation for the terrorists – but it does nothing to create a lasting framework of peaceful co-existence, says Sean O’Grady
What has boobytrapping Hezbollah’s pagers actually achieved?
The audacious attack was a PR coup for Israel and humiliation for the terrorists – but it does nothing to create a lasting framework of peaceful co-existence, says Sean O’Grady
Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli artillery positions amid escalating tensions
Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israeli artillery positions Wednesday, marking its first strike against Israel since the recent blasts that killed dozens in Lebanon.
The Israeli military reported no damage or casualties from the rocket attacks.
Hezbollah’s move comes amid heightened tensions between the two adversaries, who have been engaged in cross-border fighting since the Gaza conflict began on 7 October 2023.
Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director of research at the Carnegie Middle East Center, noted that while Hezbollah seeks to avoid all-out war, pressure may mount for a more robust response given the scale of recent events.
This latest escalation has fueled concerns of a broader Middle East conflict, potentially drawing in the United States and Iran.
According to official counts, the previous highest daily Lebanese death toll was 11, resulting from Israeli shelling last month.
Where did the explosions take place?
At least twelve people have been killed and 3,000 were injured after handheld pager devices used by Hezbollah simultaneously exploded across Lebanon and Syria.
The attack - described by Hezbollah as its “largest security breach” in nearly a year of near-daily cross-border fire with Israel - has heightened tensions in the Middle East as Hezbollah vowed revenge.
On Wednesday, more explosions have been heard in Beirut and other cities with reports walkie-talkie devices had been detonated.
Read the full article here:
Hezbollah pager attack mapped: Where did the explosions take place?
At least nine people were killed and thousands have been injured after the devices exploded on Tuesday
Recap: Hezbollah radios detonate across Lebanon, killing 20
A new wave of explosions rocked Lebanon’s south on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people.
This time, hand-held walkie talkies used by Hezbollah detonated, injuring more than 450 in Beirut’s suburbs and the Bekaa Valley.
The explosions, coming after Tuesday’s attack targeting pagers, have stoked renewed tensions amid cross-border fighting with Israel.
The death toll from Tuesday’s pager blasts has now risen to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured.
Israeli officials have not commented on the blasts, but security sources said Israel’s spy agency Mossad was responsible. One Hezbollah official said the episode was the biggest security breach in the group’s history.
The operations, which appeared to throw Hezbollah into disarray, played out alongside Israel’s 11-month-old war in Gaza and heightened fears of an escalation on its Lebanese border and the risk of a full-blown regional war.
UK urges Israel to adhere to international humanitarian law
The UK has reaffirmed its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, emphasising the need for Israel to comply with international humanitarian law.
A Foreign Office spokesperson stressed that Israel’s right to self-defence must be balanced with the protection of civilians and adherence to humanitarian principles.
The spokesperson expressed regret that concerns raised by the UK and other allies have not been adequately addressed.
“Our priority remains achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, the hostages released, civilians protected and aid flood in.
“There is no place in Britain for antisemitism, and we will not relent in our work to root out hatred in all forms.
“This government is committed to multi-year funding for the Community Security Trust, and working with the Jewish community and police to ensure that everyone feels safe on our streets.”
Israel waging ‘just war with just means’, claims Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is waging “just war with just means” and claimed it is taking “unprecedented measures to keep civilians out of harm’s way and comporting fully with international law”.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “After the October 7 Hamas massacre, the previous British government was clear in its support.”
Unfortunately, the current government is sending mixed messages.
They say that Israel has the right to defend itself, but they undermine our ability to exercise that right both by reversing Britain’s position on the absurd allegations made by the ICC prosecutor against Israel and by blocking weapons sales to Israel as we fight against the genocidal terrorist organisation that carried out the October 7 massacre.
He also told the newspaper: “Most recently, the new UK government suspended 30 arms licences to Israel, days after Hamas executed six Israeli hostages, sending a horrible message to Hamas.
“These misguided decisions will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organisation that savagely murdered 1,200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens, and took 255 people, including five British hostages.
“Just as Britain’s heroic stand against the Nazis is seen today as having been vital in defeating barbarism, so too will history judge Israel’s stand against Hamas and Iran’s axis of terror. Israel will win this war and secure our common future.”
Mr Netanyahu also said the UK is “witnessing shameless antisemitism on its campuses, at its city centres and in many parts of the country”, adding: “It is worrisome. I trust and expect that the UK leadership will take the necessary steps to root out this scourge.”
Israel has long history of pulling off complex attacks like exploding pagers in Lebanon
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government were quick to blame Israel for the nearly simultaneous detonation of hundreds of pagers used by the militant group’s members in an attack Tuesday that killed at least nine people and wounded nearly 3,000 others, according to officials.
Many of those hit were members of militant group Hezbollah, but it wasn’t immediately clear if others also carried the pagers. Among those killed were the son of a prominent Hezbollah politician and an 8-year-old girl, according to Lebanon’s health minister.
The attack came amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which have exchanged fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that sparked the war in Gaza. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was among those injured by the pager explosions.
Read the full article here:
Israel has a long history of pulling off complex attacks like the exploding pagers
Thousands of pagers used members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people and wounding several thousand
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