Dozens of walkie-talkies explode in Lebanon one day after pager blasts injure thousands, state media reports

Rob Picheta and Tamara Qiblawi, CNN

(CNN) — Dozens of walkie-talkies exploded crossed Lebanon connected Wednesday, a information root told CNN, 1 time aft blasts targeting nan pagers of Hezbollah members injured thousands.

Preliminary accusation suggested that location were betwixt 15 and 20 explosions successful confederate suburbs of Beirut, and a further 15 to 20 blasts successful confederate Lebanon, nan root said.

At slightest 9 group were killed and much than 300 injured successful Wednesday’s activity of explosions, according to nan country’s wellness ministry.

“The Army Command asks citizens not to stitchery successful areas witnessing information incidents to let nan presence of aesculapian teams,” nan Lebanese Army warned citizens successful a station connected X.

A witnesser who was astatine a Hezbollah ceremonial successful nan confederate suburbs of Beirut connected Wednesday described to CNN nan chaos arsenic walkie-talkies appeared to detonate astatine astir 5 p.m. section clip (10 a.m. ET) connected Wednesday.

The witness, who cannot beryllium named for information reasons, told CNN that a large bang went off, followed by screaming. They said that nan man whose wireless instrumentality exploded was covered successful humor and his hands had been blown off.

Photographs meantime showed walkie-talkie devices that had been ripped isolated during nan explosions.

Wednesday’s blasts travel almost precisely 24 hours aft nan near-simultaneous explosions targeting pagers of nan militant group Hezbollah, exposing a monolithic information breach among its members.

Hezbollah connected Tuesday vowed to respond to what it called an Israeli attack, which killed aggregate group and injured thousands crossed Lebanon connected Tuesday. A kid was among astatine slightest 9 killed successful those blasts, which wounded astir 2,800 people, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said.

Speculation has mounted complete really low-tech wireless connection devices could person been exploited. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Israel hid explosives wrong a batch of pagers ordered from Taiwanese shaper Gold Apollo and destined for Hezbollah. A move was embedded to detonate them remotely, it added.

The unprecedented onslaught – arsenic good arsenic nan caller blasts connected Wednesday – consequence further escalating tensions successful nan Middle East already heightened complete Israel’s warfare against Hamas successful Gaza.

This is simply a processing story. It will beryllium updated…