Hezbollah Radio Explosions Escalate Tensions with Israel

A series of explosions from Hezbollah's hand-held radios and pagers across Lebanon have intensified tensions with Israel. The device detonations resulted in numerous casualties, with Lebanon reporting 14 deaths and 450 injuries. Hezbollah retaliated by attacking Israeli positions, raising concerns of a broader Middle East conflict.

Hand-held radios used by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon's south, in Beirut suburbs, and the Bekaa Valley. These incidents have further stoked tensions with Israel, coming just a day after similar explosions by the group's pagers. Lebanon's health ministry reported 14 deaths and 450 injuries on Wednesday, while the toll from Tuesday's explosions reached 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured.

In one of Wednesday's blasts, which occurred near a funeral organized by Iran-backed Hezbollah for victims of the previous day's explosions, a Reuters reporter in Beirut's southern suburbs witnessed Hezbollah members frantically removing batteries from any walkie-talkies they had that hadn't exploded, tossing the parts into metal barrels.

Lebanon's Red Cross announced on social media platform X that it was responding to multiple explosions with 30 ambulance teams deployed to different areas, including southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah, briefly disarrayed by the explosions, stated it had attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets. This was the first strike against Israel since the blasts, signaling a possible escalation in the Middle East conflict.

In northern Israel, warning sirens blared several times, but there were no reports of damage or casualties, according to the Israeli military. Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant noted on Wednesday that the war's epicenter was shifting north, closer to Lebanon's border, with additional troops and resources being allocated to the area.

Images of the destroyed walkie-talkies inspected by Reuters featured panels marked "ICOM" and "made in Japan." ICOM, a Japan-based radio communications company, confirmed that some models, including the IC-V82 referenced in the Lebanese incidents, had been discontinued since 2014. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time as the pagers. Sources told Reuters that Israel's spy agency Mossad had planted explosives in the pagers, leading to Tuesday's detonations. The Israeli military declined to comment.

Tuesday's blasts severely wounded many Hezbollah fighters and Iran's envoy to Beirut. Hospitals were inundated with victims suffering from gruesome injuries, prompting the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to call for an independent investigation.

The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to discuss the pager explosions following a request from Algeria on behalf of Arab states. Taiwanese pager manufacturer Gold Apollo denied involvement in making the pagers, attributing production to Hungarian intermediary company BAC.

Hezbollah pledged retaliation against Israel, complicating the region's tense dynamics. Jordan's Foreign Minister accused Israel of pushing the region toward war, while analysts recognized Hezbollah's desire to avoid an all-out conflict. However, the group's statement promised continued support for Hamas in Gaza and a response to the severe impact of the pager detonations.

(Reporting by various Reuters journalists; writing and editing by Michael Georgy and others)

(With inputs from agencies.)