Walkie-talkies detonate in Lebanon in second wave of explosions

Just one day after the pagers of hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded in Lebanon and Syria, a second wave of device explosions Wednesday left at least nine more dead and 300 injured, Lebanon’s health ministry stated.
Tuesday’s deadly pager bombings killed at least 12, including two children, and wounded thousands more, The Associated Press reported.
In the second round of explosions, walkie-talkies, as well as solar devices, detonated in multiple locations across Lebanon, including at a Beirut funeral for three people killed in the Tuesday attack, according to The Associated Press.
Two sources with knowledge of the operation told Axios that the goal of the second wave of explosions was to “convince Hezbollah that it is in its interest to disconnect itself from Hamas and cut a separate deal for ending the fighting with Israel regardless of a cease-fire in Gaza.”
Israel is refusing to comment on the explosions. Hezbollah holds Israel “fully responsible for this criminal attack,” at the Deseret News previously reported.
Multiple news organizations, including CNN and The New York Times, have reported that Israel is behind the attack.
“CNN has learned Tuesday’s explosions were the result of a joint operation between Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, and the Israeli military,” CNN reported Wednesday.
The New York Times reported that “American and other officials briefed on the operation,” speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that “Israel hid tiny explosives inside a batch of Taiwanese-branded pagers imported to Lebanon.”
“Over 3,000 pagers were ordered from the Gold Apollo company in Taiwan, said several of the officials,” the Times report reads. “Hezbollah distributed the pagers to their members throughout Lebanon, with some reaching Hezbollah allies in Iran and Syria. Israel’s attack affected the pagers that were switched on and receiving messages.”
An American official, also anonymous, told The Associated Press “Israel briefed the U.S. on the operation — in which small amounts of explosive hidden in the pagers were detonated — on Tuesday after it was concluded.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated Wednesday that the U.S. “did not know about nor was it involved in these incidents.”
In response to a question about Tuesday’s attack, Blinken warned against escalations that could derail cease-fire talks.
“We’ve been very clear and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we’re trying to resolve in Gaza. To see it spread to other fronts — it’s clearly not in the interest of anyone involved to see that happen,” Blinken said Wednesday, per The Hill.
The targeted attacks are just the latest escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia that is a U.S. State Department-designated terrorist organization.
Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets at Israel since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, and Israel has retaliated with strikes against Hamas fighters.
After Wednesday explosions, Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant spoke to Israeli troops, but did not mention the explosions.
Instead, he praised Israel’s army and security agencies: “The results are very impressive.”
“The center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces,” Gallant stated per The Associated Press. “We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance,” he said.