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| Explosions linked to walkie-talkies kill at least nine in fresh Lebanon attack | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| At least 300 injured in cities across country a day after exploding pagers killed 12 | |
| Explosions apparently targeting walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah have killed at least nine people and wounded at least 300 in cities across Lebanon, a day after more than 2,800 were injured and 12 killed by exploding pagers in an attack blamed on Israel. | |
| A source in Hezbollah confirmed that walkie-talkies used by the group were targeted in the attack. A senior security source said the individual explosions were “small in size”, similar to Tuesday’s attacks. | |
| Nine people were killed and at least 300 injured as a result of the explosions, Lebanon’s health ministry said. The ministry added that first responders had almost finished transferring people to hospitals. | |
| Several solar power systems exploded in people’s homes across Lebanon, according to the National News Agency, injuring at least one girl in the town of al-Zahrani, south Lebanon. Pictures of exploded solar panels, fingerprint readers and other devices circulated social media, though it was unclear whether they blew up by themselves or were near walkie-talkies that exploded. | |
| Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have blamed Israel for Tuesday’s attack, with the former threatening a “fair punishment” for the explosion. | Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have blamed Israel for Tuesday’s attack, with the former threatening a “fair punishment” for the explosion. |
| Pictures showed broken and singed communication devices amid scenes of destruction. The Guardian saw multiple pictures of an Icom IC-V82 two-way radio that had seemingly exploded. | Pictures showed broken and singed communication devices amid scenes of destruction. The Guardian saw multiple pictures of an Icom IC-V82 two-way radio that had seemingly exploded. |
| In a video, a member of Hezbollah in the southern suburb of Beirut can be seen taking part in a funeral for fighters killed on Tuesday when a blast occurs somewhere on his body, knocking him to the ground and sending the crowd around him running. | In a video, a member of Hezbollah in the southern suburb of Beirut can be seen taking part in a funeral for fighters killed on Tuesday when a blast occurs somewhere on his body, knocking him to the ground and sending the crowd around him running. |
| While paramedics rushed to evacuate wounded from affected areas, a group of men attacked a UN peacekeeping patrol transiting through the city of Tyre in south Lebanon. A video showed men throwing stones at two UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) armored personnel carriers on the side of one of the main thoroughfares in the city. | |
| “The situation is under control right now. The Lebanese armed forces intervened but this is a serious breach of our freedom of movements,” Unifil spokesperson Andrea Teneti told the Guardian, adding that no injuries occurred, but there were material damages. | |
| Israel has not claimed responsibility for either of the attacks, but reports suggest it managed to place explosives in thousands of pagers bought by Hezbollah. | |
| So far, the only reported response from the Israeli ministry of defense was to move the 98th Division, whose forces until recently had been fighting in the Gaza Strip, to the northern region of Israel, after the cabinet’s decision to shift most of the military’s capabilities to the region. The 98th Division will join the 36th Division, which has been deployed in northern Israel for several months. | |
| In addition, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) decided to deploy a limited recruitment of reserves in the north, including air defence, Home Front Command and Medical Corps personnel. | |
| On Wednesday, Maj Gen Uri Gordin, head of the IDF’s Northern Command, visited a drill carried out by reservists of the IDF’s 179th Brigade, which is simulating fighting in Lebanon, including manoeuvring in enemy territory. | |
| “The mission is clear: we are determined to change the security reality as soon as possible. The commitment of the commanders and the troops here is complete, with peak readiness for any task that will be required,” Gordin said in a statement provided by the IDF. | |
| Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and president Isaac Herzog met for a security briefing on Wednesday morning, Herzog’s office announced. No details were released after the meeting. | |
| Meanwhile, the IDF said dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon at the western Galilee in the afternoon, striking open areas. They did not cause any injuries. | |
| A drone, allegedly launched from Iraq, was also intercepted by an Israeli fighter jet early on Wednesday morning, the IDF said. | |
| The escalation comes as US secretary of state Antony Blinken met senior Egyptian officials on Wednesday hoping to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. | |
| “We all know that a ceasefire is the best chance to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to address risks to regional stability,” Blinken told journalists at a joint press conference in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart. | |
| More details soon … | More details soon … |