Explosions of Hezbollah's Communications Devices Stokes Tension with Israel

Explosions from Hezbollah’s hand-held radios and pagers have stoked tensions with Israel, resulting in multiple casualties in Lebanon. The blasts caused chaos, particularly near funerals for those previously killed in similar incidents. Hezbollah has retaliated by attacking Israeli artillery, raising concerns about a potential wider Middle East conflict.

Explosions from Hezbollah's hand-held radios and pagers shattered the peace across Lebanon's south and Beirut suburbs, further inflaming tensions with Israel a day after similar devices detonated. Lebanon's health ministry reported nine deaths and over 300 injuries from the blasts.

One of Wednesday's explosions notably occurred near a funeral organized for victims of Tuesday's attacks, which resulted in 12 deaths. Witnesses described frantic scenes as Hezbollah members removed batteries from unexploded devices.

In retaliation, Hezbollah launched rockets at Israeli positions, marking the group's first offensive response since the blasts, which wounded thousands and increased the risk of broader conflict in the Middle East.

(With inputs from agencies.)