LEBANON'S health ministry has said nine people have been killed and more than 300 were wounded on Wednesday by exploding electronic devices in multiple regions of the country.
The explosions came a day after an apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3000.
The explosions took place at the site of a funeral for three Hezbollah members and a child killed by exploding pagers on Tuesday, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene.
Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported explosions in multiple areas of Lebanon, and a Hezbollah official told the Associated Press that walkie-talkies used by the group exploded as part of blasts heard in Beirut.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. There was no immediate detail on casualties.
The new blasts come with Lebanon still thrown into confusion and anger after Tuesday’s pager bombings, which appeared to be a complex Israeli attack targeting Hezbollah members.
At least 12 people were killed, including two children, and about 2800 people wounded as hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members began detonating in several parts of Lebanon and in Syria.
New details on the operation began to emerge. The pagers were made by a company based in Hungary, another firm said on Wednesday.
An American official said Israel briefed the United States after the attack, in which small amounts of explosives had been hidden in the pagers.
The attack, which Israel has not commented on, renewed fears that the simmering conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate into all-out war.
Secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Wednesday the US is still assessing how the attack could affect efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Israel began moving more troops to its border with Lebanon on Wednesday, according to an official with knowledge of the movements who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Hezbollah and Israeli forces have exchanged fire almost daily since October 8, the day after a deadly Hamas-led assault in southern Israel.
Since then, hundreds have been killed in the strikes in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, while tens of thousands on each side of the border have been displaced.
The AR-924 pagers used in Tuesday’s attack were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, which is based in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, according to a statement released by Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese firm that authorised the use of its brand on the pagers.
Gold Apollo’s chair, Hsu Ching-kuang, told journalists on Wednesday the firm has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years.
The attack in Lebanon started on Tuesday afternoon, when pagers in their owners’ hands or pockets started heating up and then exploding — leaving blood-splattered scenes and panicking bystanders.
It has been reported that most of those hit were members or linked to members of Hezbollah – whether fighters or civilians – but it was not immediately clear if people with no ties to Hezbollah were also hit.
The Health Ministry said health care workers and two children were among those killed.
Lebanon health minister Firas Abiad told journalists during a tour of hospitals on Wednesday morning that many of the wounded had severe injuries to the eyes, and others had limbs amputated.
Journalists were not allowed to enter hospital rooms or film patients.
