By Multiple explosions erupted Wednesday at a funeral for three Hezbollah members and a child killed in Tuesday’s pager attack, according to Associated Press journalists present at the scene. The incident marks a further escalation of tensions in Lebanon following Tuesday’s unprecedented pager bombings.
Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported explosions in several areas across Lebanon. A Hezbollah official, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization, told the Associated Press that walkie-talkies used by the group exploded, causing the blasts heard in Beirut. Details on casualties were not immediately available.
The new explosions come as Lebanon grapples with the aftermath of Tuesday’s pager bombings, which appeared to be a sophisticated Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah members. At least 12 people, including two children, were killed, and approximately 2,800 were wounded when hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated in various parts of Lebanon and Syria.
New information about the operation has emerged. The pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, a company based in Budapest, Hungary, according to Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese firm that licensed its brand for the pagers. An American official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that Israel briefed the United States after the attack, disclosing that small amounts of explosive had been concealed in the pagers.
The attack, which Israel has not officially commented on, has heightened fears of a potential escalation into full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Wednesday that the U.S. is still evaluating how the attack might impact efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
In response to the heightened tensions, Israel has begun moving additional troops to its border with Lebanon as a precautionary measure, according to an official familiar with the movements.
Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire since October 8, following the deadly Hamas-led assault in southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. The ongoing conflict has resulted in hundreds of casualties in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, while displacing tens of thousands on both sides of the border.
The pagers involved in Tuesday’s attack, model AR-924, were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT in Budapest. Gold Apollo, the Taiwanese firm that licensed its brand for the pagers, stated that it had a three-year licensing agreement with BAC but was not responsible for the design or manufacturing of the products.
