Lebanon confirms 32 deaths in second round of massive gadget explosion

Emmanuel Thomas I Thursday, Sept.19, 2024

BEIRUT, Lebanon – While many Lebanese were recovering from pagers’ explosion of Tuesday which killed 12 people and injured thousands, Lebanon was for the second time in 48 hours hit with another round of explosions.

This time, the carriers of the explosives were phones, laptops, walkie talkies and other communications gadgets, which exploded leaving 32 people dead.

According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, the magnitude of devastation was horrific.

Health Minister, Firas al-Abeid said most of the injuries occurred in the eyes and that some residents have become completely blind, some having just one eye but that parents have expressed willingness to donate eyes to their children.

The minister said over 400 people were injured in the second explosion.

She said neighbouring countries have contacted Lebanon to provide support and medical assistance.

There are reports that the devices that exploded on Wednesday were of the “ICOM V 82” type, that Mossad allegedly laced with explosives similar to pagers.

Cars, motorbikes, stores, and homes across the country caught fire following the explosions.

Most of the injured were transported to hospitals in Bekaa,  and Nabatieh.

Why  some use pagers etc

Security expert, Yassin Ezz El-Din said Pagers and walkie-talkies are used for fast wireless communication without relying on the Internet to achieve two things.

According to him, they are used for communication in places where there is no Internet, and to avoid the risk of Internet spying.

He said pagers are used for dangerous military and organizational matters where there is a need to hide sensitive information, and that such devices are not used where there are more advanced  secure systems.

” I believe that the occupation did not benefit much from its strike because it did not touch the nerve of Hezbollah’s military organization, and its benefit is in the psychological and media aspect and nothing more”, the expert said.

This attack has been greeted with alot of condemnation like the first one.

The Ansar Allah Political Bureau said it strongly condemn the “israeli” terrorist operations against Lebanon, which resulted in a number of martyrs and wounded

“The “israeli” operations against civilians in Lebanon constitute a full-fledged war crime, and represent a blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty

“The Zionist entity’s persistence in its crimes, whether in Gaza or Lebanon, comes in light of American support and assistance at all levels”, the group said, adding that the Islamic Resistance in Hezbollah pays the price for its courageous faith-based and moral positions supporting the Palestinian people and their resistance in Gaza.

“Hzbollah’s positions have destroyed the “israeli” enemy and inflicted many (sub)human and material losses on it”, the group said.