Israel declares ‘new phase of war’ as more devices explode
HEZBOLLAH WALKIES-TALKIES HIT IN 2ND ATTACK
ISRAEL has declared a “new phase of war” as a second wave of electrical devices exploded across Lebanon.
Twenty people are said to have been killed and hundreds hurt when walkietalkies blew up yesterday, including at the funeral of a child killed in the previous blasts.
It came a day after the new tactic of exploding pagers rocked the Middle Eastern nation.
On Tuesday, hundreds of pagers used by the Iran-backed militants blew up almost simultaneously in Lebanon and parts of Syria.
This first round of explosions reportedly killed at least 12 people, including two children, and wounded nearly 3,000.
Hezbollah blamed Israel for what seemed to be an elaborate remote strike, which also injured Iran’s ambassador.
As the bloodshed continued yesterday, Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant said it was the “start of a new phase in the war” — turning his country’s focus towards the northern front against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
He added: “It requires courage, determination and perseverance.”
In Lebanon’s capital Beirut there were reportedly multiple explosions yesterday at the site of a funeral for three Hezbollah members and a child killed by pagers that blew up the previous day. Hezbollah said walkie-talkies used by the group exploded in this second wave. Meanwhile, solar energy systems blew up in homes in several areas of Beirut and in southern Lebanon, wounding at least one girl, a Lebanese news agency reported.
In total, as many as 450 people were wounded by yesterday’s blast, the country’s health ministry said.
The alleged Israeli pager attack on Tuesday had already propelled the Middle East to the brink of major conflict. It has since emerged a company in Hungary allegedly made the pagers. Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo said it had authorised its brand to appear on the AR-924 devices but that a business in Hungary’s capital Budapest manufactured them.
But Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, the boss of the Hungarian firm BAC Consulting KFT, denied responsibilty.
She confirmed her company had worked with Gold Apollo, but told NBC: “I don’t make the pagers. I am just the intermediate. I think you got it wrong.”
Speaking to his country’s troops yesterday, Israel’s defence chief Mr Gallant made no mention of the mysterious explosions of electronic devices in neighbouring Lebanon. But as well as talking about the start of a new phase, he praised the work of his nation’s army and security agencies, saying: “The results are very impressive.”
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After months of war in Gaza, he added: “The centre of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces.”
After the deadly explosions on Tuesday, dozens gathered in a village in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon to mourn the death of nine-year-old Fatima Abdullah.
Yesterday, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved more troops to the border with Lebanon.
It was a precautionary measure, according to one official.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it had carried out a rocket attack on an
Israeli artillery position – marking the first cross-border fire between the sides since the pager blasts, the BBC reported.
Hezbollah said it targeted Israel’s artillery positions in northern Israel “with a volley of rockets”.
Hezbollah started striking Israel soon after Hamas’s October 7 atrocity, which killed about 1,200 people and sparked the war in Gaza.
Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily since then, coming close to a full-blown war on several occasions – as well as forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 attack, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the pager explosions were a serious development.
He added: “The logic of making all these devices explode is to do it as a pre-emptive strike before a major military operation.
“This event confirms there is a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon.” He added: “Everything must be done to avoid that escalation.”