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14 dead in new wave of Lebanon device blasts: health ministry

14 dead, over 450 wounded in new wave of Lebanon device blasts: health ministry
MENA
1 min read
18 September, 2024
A new wave of device explosions in Lebanon has killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 450 on Wednesday, authorities said
Explosions were reported during the funerals of Hezbollah members killed in Tuesday's blasts [Getty]

Fourteen people were killed and over 450 wounded Wednesday when walkie-talkies exploded across Lebanon, the government said, a day after pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, killing 12 and wounding up to 2,800.

The Iran-backed group blamed Israel for the first wave of blasts on Tuesday, vowing revenge and stoking fears of all-out war in the region.

"The new wave of walkie-talkie explosions... killed fourteen people and wounded more than 450," the health ministry said in a statement.

A source close to the Iran-backed group said walkie-talkies used by its members exploded in a southern suburb of Beirut during the funerals of Hezbollah members killed in Tuesday's blasts.

"A number of walkie-talkies exploded in Beirut's southern suburbs," the source said, with Hezbollah-affiliated rescuers confirming devices had exploded inside two cars in the area.

The explosions caused panic, according to an AFP photographer covering the funerals.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported "pagers" and "devices" had also exploded in east and south Lebanon, with AFP correspondents hearing explosions in those regions.

A hospital source in the eastern city of Baalbek told AFP 25 people had been wounded after walkie-talkies exploded.