A second wave of attacks involving explosives targeting Hezbollah members took place in Lebanon on Wednesday, in which Lebanese leaders have blamed Israel. The first attack, involving pagers, took place in Beirut on Tuesday, injuring thousands of Hezbollah members and killing over a dozen. A day later, walkie-talkies detonated in the suburbs of Beirut and in the south of the country. At least 32 people, including children, were killed in the attacks.
Videos of the attacks that were posted to X include the moment a walkie-talkie exploded during a funeral, in which one person was injured, while another shows the damage done to a motorcycle after a Hezbollah exploded.
Footage purportedly shows the moment a Hezbollah walkie-talkie exploded during a funeral in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut. https://t.co/3Qpkdgcjcy pic.twitter.com/BfzeeYykfL
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 18, 2024
Significant damage appears to have been made to a motorcycle after a Hezbollah radio exploded. pic.twitter.com/57JfoWDmaQ
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) September 18, 2024
According to The Daily Wire, Israeli journalist Barak Ravid noted that the walkie-talkies were reportedly booby-trapped by Israeli intelligence services.
“Israel blew up thousands of personal radios (Walkie-Talkies) which were used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon in a second wave of its intelligence operation which started on Tuesday with the explosions of Hezbollah pager devices, per two sources with knowledge,” said Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, according to The Daily Wire.
“The personal radios that were booby-trapped in advance by Israeli intelligence services and then delivered to Hezbollah were part of the militia’s emergency communications system, which was supposed to be used during a war with Israel, the sources said,” he added.
As reported by CNN, smoke was visible from fires that broke out in dozens of homes, stores, and vehicles.
Although Hezbollah and Israel have seen decades in conflict, tensions and cross-border attacks between them have increased following Hamas’ attack on Israel last October.
Hezbollah is part of a larger Iran-led axis across the Middle East spanning Yemen, Syria, and Gaza, which had stated they will continue to strike Israel as long as the war in Gaza goes on. One Hezbollah leader described the Axis rebranding themselves as a “supportive front” for Palestinians in the strip.
In response to the attacks, Hezbollah warned on Tuesday that Israel will “definitely receive a fair punishment for this sinful assault, both in ways that are expected and unexpected.” Additionally, the Lebanese government condemned the attack as “criminal Israeli aggression” and a violation of their national sovereignty.
On the other hand, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant seemingly alluded to attacks on Wednesday during a visit to an air force base – praising the “excellent achievements” of the military and intelligence agency.
“We are at the beginning of a new era in this war, and we need to adapt ourselves,” Gallant said.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.