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 organized 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.
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.
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Netanyahu accuses UK of sending ‘mixed messages’ over support for Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu has accused the UK government of sending “mixed messages” over its support for Israel and “undermining” the country’s right to self-defence.
Israel’s prime minister criticised the new Labour administration for suspending around 30 arms exports to Israel amid concerns they could be used in violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza conflict.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has also dropped the previous Conservative government’s plan to challenge the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) application for an arrest warrant against Mr Netanyahu.
Both decisions have caused diplomatic tensions with Israel, which launched a counter-attack in Gaza after Hamas-led militants broke into Israel and killed around 1,200 people and abducted around 250 others.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the counter-attack, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Pentagon chief and Israeli counterpart discuss threats to Israel
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin spoke on Wednesday with Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant to review regional security developments and reiterate US support for Israel in the face of threats from Iran, Hezbollah and other Iranian allies, the Pentagon said.
Taiwan closely monitoring Hezbollah pager explosions
Taiwan’s national security agencies are closely monitoring the recent detonation of thousands of pagers targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, defence minister Wellington Koo said.
The incident has drawn Taiwan into the spotlight due to links to a Taiwanese firm, Gold Apollo, which allegedly produced the pagers. However, Gold Apollo denied involvement, stating that the devices were manufactured by a Budapest-based company licensed to use its brand.
“Relevant national security bodies are closely watching developments,” Mr Koo said in Taipei, adding they are “paying great attention” to this.
The Taiwanese government has not provided further details on its involvement or response to the situation.
What has boobytrapping Hezbollah’s pagers actually achieved?
What kind of a mind, one wonders, dreams up such a macabre lark as this, an “exploding cigar” practical joke on a grand scale?
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British-educated businesswoman denies making Hezbollah explosive pagers which killed at least 12 people
The handheld devices killed at least 12 people and injured 3,000 after they simultaneously detonated across Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday afternoon in a suspected Israeli operation.
The Taiwanese company whose branding was on the technology claimed Budapest-based firm BAC Consultancy made the devices under a three-year brand licensing agreement.
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Watch: Moment of explosion in Beirut one day after pagers detonate
Watch: Moment of explosion in Beirut one day after pagers detonate
The moment explosions rang out in Beirut on Wednesday, 18 September, during a funeral procession for a person who was killed when pagers detonated the previous day, was captured on video. Lebanon’s health ministry says at least nine people were killed and 300 were wounded. It comes a day after at least 12 people – including two children – were killed and thousands wounded after electronic pagers belonging to Hezbollah simultaneously exploded in Lebanon and Syria. Reports emerged that hand-held walkie-talkie devices detonated one day after the pager blasts.
Read the full story: At least 20 dead as walkie-talkies explode in Lebanon
Handheld radios used by Hezbollah exploded across Lebanon on Wednesday in a second wave of deadly blasts as Israel’s defence minister declared his country was entering a “new phase of war” on its northern border.
At least 20 people were killed and 450 injured by the detonations, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
While Israel has not commented, the finger has been pointed at its Mossad spy agency. A senior Lebanese security source and a second source told reporters that Mossad – which has a long history of complex attacks on foreign soil – planted explosives inside the pagers. The claim was mirrored by American officials cited in US media.
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Iran’s UN envoy says they will ‘duly follow up’ on attack on their ambassador
The Iranian ambassador to the UN, in a letter reported by the Iranian state news agency, reiterates that his country blames Israel and accuses it of committing acts of a “terrorist nature”.
Amir Saeid Iravani said: “The Islamic Republic of Iran will duly follow up on the attack against its ambassador in Lebanon, which resulted in his injury, and reserves its rights under international law to take required measures deemed necessary to respond to such a heinous crime and violation.”
He added: “Western countries, especially the United States as a strategic ally, by their unwavering so-called ironclad support for this regime, bear international responsibility” for Israel’s acts.
Source: independent.co.uk