Further blasts targeting Hezbollah walkie-talkies go off across Lebanon a day after pager attack

Just one day after pagers used by the militant group Hezbollah detonated in Lebanon, killing at least 12 and injuring thousands, explosions were again heard across the country on Wednesday.

By Wednesday night, at least 14 people were dead and 450 injured in the latest blast, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

Handheld radios or walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah's militants exploded in the southern suburbs of Beirut, as well as Nabatieh, Tyre and Saida, Euronews confirmed.

In the Lebanese capital, multiple explosions went off during the funeral of four Hezbollah fighters who were killed the day before, sources said.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army warned citizens in a post on X "not to gather in areas witnessing security incidents to allow the arrival of medical teams."

Nearly 3,000 were wounded in the first spate of blasts on Tuesday, mostly suffering injuries to their face and hands, and some required amputations, according to Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad.

Photos and videos circulating on social media showed people lying on the pavement with injuries to their face, abdomen or extremities.

Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack. Israeli has declined to comment on the allegations. The US has denied any involvement in the attack.

Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, said Wednesday that the militant group will respond to Tuesday's pager explosion attack with “special punishment."

The group is in a “new confrontation with the enemy," Safieddine said.

Meanwhile, EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Tuesday's blasts caused "heavy, indiscriminate collateral damages among civilians: children were killed."

"The situation is extremely worrying. I can only condemn these attacks that endanger Lebanon’s security and stability," Borrell said in a statement Wednesday.

The US, UK and others have designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, while the EU has labelled its militant wing as a terror group.

Tensions leading to war?

This week's incidents come at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The clashes have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.

On Tuesday, Israel declared that it has made an objective of halting Hezbollah's attacks in the north to allow Israeli residents in the area to return to their homes.

Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas's terrorist attack on 7 October, which sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several occasions and forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate their homes.

Gaza's Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas' 7 October attack. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants without providing evidence.

The war has caused vast destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million.