Southern Lebanon witnessed its deadliest day on Wednesday since fighting between Hezbollah and Israel reignited nearly a year ago, as a series of explosions targeting the armed group’s hand-held radios killed 20 people.
The blasts occurred following the previous day’s detonation of Hezbollah pagers, further inflaming tensions in the region.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported that more than 450 people were injured in Beirut’s southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley.
The death toll from Tuesday’s blasts also rose to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 people injured across the country.
One of Wednesday’s explosions occurred near a funeral organized by Hezbollah for those killed in the previous day’s pager detonations, which had injured many of the group’s fighters.
While Israeli officials have not issued a statement, security sources claim Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, was behind the attack.
A Hezbollah official described the incident as the most significant security breach in the group’s history.
The explosions, which left Hezbollah in disarray, unfolded alongside Israel’s 11-month-old war in Gaza, raising concerns that the conflict could escalate along its northern border with Lebanon, potentially triggering a wider regional war.
Tuesday’s explosions were reportedly caused by Israeli spies who remotely detonated explosives hidden in 5,000 pagers ordered by Hezbollah before they crossed into Lebanon.
