(Image source from: Theguardian.com)
The walkie-talkies and handheld radios owned by over 3,000 Hezbollah members exploded in different parts of Lebanon on Wednesday, leading to 20 deaths and at least 450 injuries. These latest casualties added to the previous day's toll of 12 deaths and 3,000 injuries caused by exploding pagers. Lebanese media reported the blasts occurred in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and Southern Lebanon. The United States government denied involvement in the detonation of these devices belonging to Hezbollah operatives. Meanwhile, Israel did not comment, but had recently announced expanding its military operations in Gaza to also target Hezbollah, Hama's ally. The total death toll climbed to 32 as of now.
The White House stated that they were not involved in the recent incidents in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. They emphasized that diplomacy is the best way to prevent the conflict from escalating further. Meanwhile, reports of smoke plumes and explosions in Beirut were being investigated, with two people injured after a device exploded on a road in the Bekaa Valley. The explosion happened at a funeral ceremony in Dahiyeh, a southern area of Beirut, where people had gathered to mourn the deaths of four individuals from the previous day's pager explosion. The blast occurred as the funeral procession was just beginning, affecting people of all ages, including children and women.
Lebanon blamed Israel for the blasts, and a senior Lebanese security source and another source told Reuters that Israel's Mossad spy agency planted explosives in pagers imported by Hezbollah months before Tuesday's attacks, stressing a long history of complex operations carried out in foreign territory.
