Over 100 injured in fresh attacks, walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon
New Delhi, Sep 18: Over 100 individuals have been wounded in the latest wave of walkie-talkie blasts, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, as reported by AFP and AP, a day after when 12 people were killed and nearly 3,000 injured in a series of pager explosions in Lebanon.
The walkie-talkies detonated in a fresh wave of explosions on Wednesday, a security source informed CNN, just a day after the devastating pager blasts across the country.
The earlier attack, which targeted the militant group Hezbollah, claimed the lives of at least 12 people, including two children, and injured around 3,000 people. According to a BBC reporter, one of the recent blasts occurred during a funeral, while other sources indicated that various communication devices seem to be involved in the explosions. Reuters reported that the hand-held radios targeted in the latest attack were purchased five months ago by Hezbollah.
As of now, at least three additional people have died, with hundreds more suffering injuries, many of them sustaining wounds to their stomachs and hands. Reports from multiple sources suggest that Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, was behind the Tuesday attack, although Israel has not officially commented on the matter.
Hezbollah had begun using pagers after banning mobile phones earlier this year, citing the risk of easy tracking. This recent wave of violence has left people in Lebanon fearing for their safety, with many avoiding phone shops after witnessing small explosions at some premises.
Smoke was seen billowing from these locations, and citizens are urging their children to refrain from using communication devices such as mobile phones, fearing the possibility of more blasts.
The situation in Lebanon has escalated rapidly in the past 48 hours. On Tuesday, a deadly attack using pager explosions shook the country, killing 12 and leaving thousands injured. The explosions were seen as a targeted strike on Hezbollah, a powerful militant group with deep political ties in Lebanon.
While Hezbollah had adopted pagers as a more secure form of communication after banning mobile phones, this latest attack has shattered the sense of security among its ranks and the broader population. The continuing blasts involving walkie-talkies are adding to the chaos, spreading fear and deepening the country's instability.