The explosions occurred around 3pm, the same time as the previous wave of badger explosions yesterday.
Walkie-talkies exploded as the funeral of four Hezbollah members killed the previous day in a beeper explosion was taking place, according to a source close to the Lebanese Islamist movement and rescue workers. The explosions caused panic, according to an AFP photographer covering the funeral of the four people, including the son of a Hezbollah MP.
At least three dead
Three deaths have been reported following the second wave of explosions of personal communication devices in Lebanon, according to the National News Agency (NNA) and the newspaper “L’Orient-le Jour”. Today’s wave of explosions appears to be more powerful and destructive than yesterday’s.
The devices that exploded were walkie-talkies, a security source told CNN. They also said that 15 to 20 explosions took place in the southern suburbs of Beirut, as well as in southern Lebanon. According to the source, these walkie-talkies are less used than the pagers that exploded yesterday, because they are only distributed to people responsible for organizing gatherings, such as funerals or marches.
Lebanese sources said that “the personal radios, pre-rigged with explosives by Israeli intelligence and delivered to Hezbollah, were part of the party’s emergency communications system, intended to be used in the event of war with Israel.”
Explosions also hit Hezbollah solar farms in Sidon Tzur and al-Baqaa.
Reports from Syria indicate that the Syrian Arab Army has ordered all of its units to stop using two-way radios and instead rely on reliable communication systems – such as landlines and other radio systems from the 1980s, 1970s and 1960s.
