(CNN) — Dozens of walkie talkies exploded across Lebanon on Wednesday, a security source told CNN, one day after blasts targeting the pagers of Hezbollah members injured thousands.
Preliminary information suggested that there were between 15 and 20 explosions in southern suburbs of Beirut, and a further 15 to 20 blasts in southern Lebanon, the source said.
At least one person has been killed and more than a hundred others injured in the latest wave of explosions, the Lebanese health ministry said. Lebanese state media NNA earlier reported three deaths.
“The Army Command asks citizens not to gather in areas witnessing security incidents to allow the arrival of medical teams,” the Lebanese Army warned citizens in a post on X.
Wednesday’s blasts come almost exactly 24 hours after the near-simultaneous explosions targeting pagers of the militant group Hezbollah, exposing a massive security breach among its members.
Hezbollah on Tuesday vowed to respond to what it called an Israeli attack, which killed multiple people and injured thousands across Lebanon on Tuesday. A child was among at least nine killed in those blasts, which wounded about 2,800 people, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said.
Speculation has mounted over how low-tech wireless communication devices could have been exploited. The unprecedented attack – as well as the fresh blasts on Wednesday – risks further escalating tensions in the Middle East already heightened over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
This is a breaking story. More details soon…
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