More deadly explosions were reported in Lebanon a day after the explosions by Hezbollah

Beirut, Lebanon – A source close to the Lebanese group Hezbollah told the French news agency AFP that the loudspeakers used by members of the group exploded in a central area of ​​Beirut on Wednesday, as the media reported similar explosions of pagers and “devices” in eastern and southern Lebanon. The Reuters news agency quoted the Ministry of Health in Lebanon as saying that at least nine people died and more than 300 were injured as a result of the explosion.

The explosion happened after a day of thousands pagers manned by members of Hezbollah went off almost simultaneously, at least 12 people died including two children, according to Lebanon’s public health minister. The seemingly sophisticated attack comes after weeks of growing tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollahwhich have turned into a fire on the northern border of Israel since October 7 the attack by Hamas which led to war in Gaza.

At least one explosion went off on Wednesday near a funeral held by Hezbollah for some of the people killed the day before by pager blasts. A Reuters reporter in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, said he saw people from families with Hezbollah members quickly removing batteries from unexploded walkie-talkies and throwing away the devices.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency also said pagers and devices also exploded in Hezbollah strongholds in the east and south, while AFP correspondents also reported the explosion.

Israeli defense chief says war is at “new stage”

Israeli officials have not released a public comment about the explosion in Lebanon, but a U.S. official told the AP on Tuesday that Israeli authorities notified U.S. officials about the operation after the pager went off on Tuesday. Lebanese and Hezbollah officials were quick to blame Israel for Tuesday’s widespread attack, and Iran-backed Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate.

US military spokesman and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US had no prior knowledge of plans to blow up telecommunications equipment in Lebanon and had no role in the operation.

Speaking to the military on Wednesday in Israel, the country’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant did not mention the explosion in Lebanon, but praised the work of the Israeli military and security organizations, calling the results of their actions “very good.”

He said that after 11 months of war in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, “the center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and power.”

“We are at the beginning of a new phase of war,” he said, adding that, “it requires courage, determination and patience.”

How do pagers explode in Lebanon?

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said on Wednesday it had approved the use of its trademark pagers went off on Tuesdaybut it said the equipment carried by Hezbollah members was manufactured and sold by Bac Consulting KFT – a company based in Budapest, Hungary.

Gold Apollo founder and CEO Hsu Ching-kuang told NPR on Wednesday that “there was nothing in those devices that we manufactured or shipped to them. [BAC].”

CBS News asked Bac Consulting how and when its devices are manufactured and sold, but did not receive a response by phone or email.

In response to CBS News’ message, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s spokesman Zoltán Kovács said the Hungarian leader’s office “has no information/information on this matter.”

In a social media post later on Wednesday, Kovács described Bac Consulting as “a commercial consultant, which has no production or working place in Hungary,” adding that the company “has only one registered manager at the declared address, and the indicated machines have never been in Hungary.”

It was not immediately clear how many pagers went off on Tuesday, but a senior Lebanese security official and another source told Reuters that Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency had planted a small number of explosives inside 5,000 devices, saying they were only ordered by Hezbollah. months before the explosion.

The AP and the New York Times, citing unnamed US officials, also said the pagers detonated on Tuesday had small explosives inside them, as well as embedded switches that could be detonated remotely.

The Times said the devices have small explosives, embedded near their batteries. Citing Lebanese officials, the newspaper said that the concerned pagers received a message at 3:30 pm local time that appeared to be from the leadership of Hezbollah, but which opened the firecrackers.

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Emmett Lyons and Tucker Reals contributed to this report.