32 Killed, Over 3,250 Injured As Walkie-Talkies, Pagers Explode In Lebanon

At least 32 people were killed and more than 3,250 injured as walkie-talkies and pagers used by Hezbollah members blew up in its strongholds across Lebanon in the last two days, stoking fears of an all-out war with Israel.

Walkie-talkies used by Iran-backed Hezbollah members blew up in its Beirut stronghold on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 450 others. At least one of Wednesday’s blasts took place near a funeral organised by Hezbollah for those killed the previous day.

The explosions came a day after thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah exploded across Lebanon, killing 12 people, including two children, and injuring about 2,800.

Hezbollah said Israel was “fully responsible for this criminal aggression” and vowed revenge. Israel has so far not officially said anything about the explosions.

In Tuesday’s explosions, sources said Israeli spies remotely detonated explosives they planted in a Hezbollah order of 5,000 pagers before they entered the country.

Hezbollah members turned to pagers and other low-tech communication devices to evade Israeli surveillance of mobile phones.

Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy in the Middle East, said on Wednesday it attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets. The Israeli military, however, said there were no reports of any damage or casualties.

The US warned all sides against “escalation” in the Middle East after two days of blasts in Lebanon. “We still don’t want to see an escalation of any kind.

We don’t believe that the way to solve where we’re at in this crisis is by additional military operations at all,” US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned that the pager blasts targeting Hezbollah indicate “a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon and everything must be done to avoid that escalation.”

The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to meet on Friday over the pager blasts in Lebanon.

Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting across the Lebanese border after the war in Gaza erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas, a Hezbollah ally also backed by Iran, attacked Israeli towns.