A second wave of explosive attacks targeting Hezbollah members took place in Lebanon on Wednesday, with Lebanese leaders blaming Israel. The first pager attack took place in Beirut on Tuesday, wounding thousands of Hezbollah members and killing a dozen. The next day, walkie-talkie explosions occurred in the outskirts of Beirut and in southern Lebanon. At least 32 people, including children, were killed in the attacks.
Video of the attack Posts X includes the moment a walkie-talkie explodes during a funeral, injuring one person. Another Hezbollah shows the damage caused to the motorbike after the explosion.
The footage purportedly shows the moment a Hezbollah walkie-talkie exploded during a funeral in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh. https://t.co/3Qpkdgcjcy pic.twitter.com/BfzeeYykfL
— Emmanuel (Manny) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 18, 2024
It appears that a Hezbollah radio exploded, causing extensive damage to the motorcycle. pic.twitter.com/57JfoWDmaQ
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) September 18, 2024
According to The Daily WireIsraeli journalist Barak Ravid pointed out that the walkie-talkie had reportedly been fitted with a bomb planted by Israeli intelligence.
“Israel has blown up thousands of personal radios used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon in a second wave of intelligence operations that began on Tuesday with the destruction of Hezbollah pager devices,” two sources familiar with the matter said. The Daily Wire.
“The personal radios, planted in advance by Israeli intelligence and delivered to Hezbollah, were part of the militia's emergency communications system that was to be used in the event of a war with Israel, the sources said,” he added.
Reports say CNNSmoke was visible from fires at dozens of homes, businesses and vehicles.
Hezbollah and Israel have been at odds for decades, but tensions between the two sides and cross-border attacks have increased since Hamas attacked Israel in October last year.
Hezbollah is part of a larger Iranian-led axis across the Middle East that spans Yemen, Syria and Gaza, and has said it will continue to attack Israel as long as the war in Gaza continues. One Hezbollah leader said the axis is recasting itself as a “support front” for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah responded to the attack on Tuesday by warning that Israel “will certainly face just punishment for this sinful attack, whether expected or unexpected.” The Lebanese government further condemned the attack as “criminal Israeli aggression” and a violation of the country's sovereignty.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant addressed the attack during a visit to an airbase on Wednesday, praising the military and intelligence services for a “great job.”
“We are at the beginning of a new era in this warfare and we need to adapt,” Gallant said.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Stringer
