Lebanon Walkie Talkie Blast: Chaos reigns in Lebanon as it gets attacked through walkie-talkie blasts. The whole world was shaken as Lebanon witnessed multiple explosions through deadly walkie-talkies on Wednesday. At least twenty people were killed and more than four hundred injured after these devices exploded in their hands.
The Lebanese Red Cross said it had deployed thirty ambulances across southern Lebanon and the Beka Valley in response to the explosions. On the other hand, the country’s civil defense force worked to put out fires inside people’s homes, cars, and shops.
Series of Device Explosions in Lebanon
These attacks occurred in the vicinity of a large crowd that had gathered for the funerals of four victims of the Lebanon Walkie Talkie Blast and pager blasts that had occurred the day before. These pager attacks had injured 2,800 people and killed at least twelve, three of whom had been children.
Most of the people injured had been part of the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which blamed the attack on Israel.
According to a report by Reuters, Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, was in fact behind the Lebanon Walkie Talkie Blast. A Hezbollah official told the news agency that this episode was the biggest security breach in the group’s history.
The armed group has vowed retaliation and issued a statement that Israel awaits “a difficult reckoning.” Israeli forces have so far declined to comment directly on the attack.
What is Hezbollah and Why is Israel Targeting It?
Hezbollah is a militant group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. This group has been targeting northern Israel with rockets and drones since last year in solidarity with its war against Israel in Gaza.
Iran is reported to be a huge supporter of Hezbollah and had previously warned Israel against a “full-scale aggression” in Lebanon, saying it would lead to an “obliterating war.”
How Did These Attacks Occur?
Pager devices are small communication tools that use radio frequencies instead of the internet to communicate.
These pagers received messages that appeared to be coming from Hezbollah’s leadership before detonating. The messages seemed to trigger the devices, which then exploded.
Citing U.S. officials, the New York Times reported that Israel had allegedly hidden explosive material in a new batch of pagers, ordered from Taiwan before they reached Lebanon.
Israel Shifts Focus from Gaza in ‘New Phase of War’
“We are opening a new phase of war. It requires courage, determination, and perseverance from us,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in remarks at an air force base on Wednesday.
“The center of gravity is moving north, which means we are diverting forces, resources, and energy toward the north,” Gallant further added.
Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah V/S Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
The U.S. has denied any involvement in the attack and said it was pursuing intensive diplomacy to avert an escalation in the conflict.
11 Months of Israel-Palestine War
It has been more than eleven months since the war first erupted between Israel and Palestine. Since then, more than 40,000 people have been killed, and more than 95,000 have been injured.
The war had been triggered after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year, after which the latter occupied the Gaza Strip.
Since then, Hezbollah, as one of the strongest allies of Hamas, has also been attacking Israel constantly through rockets. Israel, in turn, retaliated with airstrikes that have killed Hezbollah commanders.
These events had triggered the fear of an all-out conflict between the Middle Eastern country and Israel, a fear that has escalated after the coordinated pager and Lebanon Walkie Talkie Blast attacks.
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