A Hezbollah official reported that walkie-talkies used by the group exploded in Beirut, following a similar incident with pagers the day before. According to a security source and witness, hand-held radios used by Hezbollah detonated in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs late Wednesday afternoon. One of the explosions took place near a funeral organized by Hezbollah for those killed in the previous day’s pager explosions, which injured many members of the group.
Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV confirmed explosions in various areas of Lebanon, attributing them to detonating walkie-talkies. The Epoch Times could not independently verify these claims. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that around 2,800 people were injured in the pager blasts on Tuesday, with eight additional fatalities, including a child. Most of the injuries sustained were to the hands.
Among the casualties reported was Mahdi Ammar, the son of Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese Parliament member Ali Ammar. Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad stated that 12 people were killed and 3,000 were wounded in the security breach.
The Taiwanese pager manufacturer whose branding appeared on the exploded beepers in Lebanon claimed that they were produced by a company in Hungary. The pagers used in the detonations were manufactured by Budapest-based BAC Consulting, according to Gold Apollo, the Taiwanese firm. Gold Apollo clarified that they only licensed their brand to the company and were not involved in the production process.
The Epoch Times reached out to BAC Consulting for further comment on the situation. This story is still developing and will be updated as new information becomes available. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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