For the second day in a row, hundreds of communication devices belonging to Hezbollah terrorist fighters throughout Lebanon suddenly exploded Wednesday, killing at nearly a dozen people and wounding nearly 500. The incident, which Lebanese officials and Hezbollah have blamed on Israel, have dramatically escalated tensions in the region.
The first wave of explosions on Tuesday targeted pagers, killing 12 people and injuring nearly 3,000 — almost exclusively Hezbollah terrorist members.
A second attack on Wednesday affected walkie-talkies, solar panels, and other wireless devices, resulting in at least 14 more deaths and over 450 injuries. The explosions occurred across Lebanon, mostly in Hezbollah strongholds.
The attacks also disrupted a funeral for terrorists killed in the first incident, causing panic among mourners.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed radical Islamic terrorist group, has vowed retaliation against Israel, which has not officially commented on the incidents. ‘
The sophisticated nature of the attacks has been described as a significant security breach for Hezbollah, potentially disrupting its communication networks.
It has left the terror organization reeling and without a reliable communication network.
“You cannot go to war while your house is not protected,” Amer Al Sabaileh, a geopolitical analyst with contacts inside Hezbollah, told NPR. “You don’t know the level of infiltration, and what next surprise Israel is preparing for you, and this means that going to war in such conditions might be a suicide recipe for Hezbollah.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, without directly mentioning the explosions, said Israeli focus was moving north towards Lebanon.
“The center of gravity is moving north. We are diverting forces, resources, and energy toward the north,” Gallant told Israeli Air Force personnel at the Ramat David Airbase. “I believe that we are at the onset of a new phase in this war, and we need to adapt.”
Take a look at some of the shocking footage of the covert Israeli strikes —
It has been a bad couple of days to be a Hezbollah operative.
If you don’t want your pager blown up, maybe don’t join Hezbollah. pic.twitter.com/FW12hTmhBc
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) September 18, 2024
Another Hezbollah radio explodes in Beirut.
Today’s explosions reportedly were more powerful than yesterday’s.
The explosion seen in this video must have done serious damage to the apartment pic.twitter.com/iceeyaOqNN
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) September 18, 2024
🚨 Breaking: Thousands of Hezbollah radio devices ("Walkie-Talkie") have exploded during the past hour, in what appears to be the second wave of the attack..
Below is a footage from today, exploding during the funeral of another Hezbollah terrorist who was killed yesterday 👇 pic.twitter.com/o3ljPtgSZo
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) September 18, 2024
Hezbollah is having a really bad day. pic.twitter.com/MhaCLB6wRR
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) September 18, 2024