Beirut, Sept 18: At least three people died and multiple others were injured on Wednesday in a series of explosions in Beirut involving walkie-talkies. The explosions occurred a day after similar incidents involving pagers.
According to the National News Agency, the blasts in the town of Sohmor resulted in “three martyrs” as the devices exploded. These walkie-talkies were acquired by Hezbollah around five months ago, coinciding with the purchase of the pagers involved in the earlier attacks, reported Reuters.
One explosion took place at a funeral for three Hezbollah members and a child killed in the pager attacks. Additionally, devices detonated inside two cars in the vicinity, AFP reported. Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV also reported explosions in several locations across Lebanon.
There is speculation that Israel’s spy agency, Mossad, may have planted explosives in the pagers imported by Hezbollah. The death toll from the pager explosions has increased to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured, including many Hezbollah fighters and Iran’s envoy to Beirut, according to Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad.
Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese company, stated that the pagers were made by the Hungarian firm BAC and denied any involvement. Hezbollah has pledged retaliation against Israel, which has not commented on the explosions. The violence is part of ongoing cross-border conflicts that began with the Gaza conflict last October, raising fears of a wider Middle Eastern conflict involving the United States and Iran.
