Israel has declared it is entering “a new phase of war” after Hezbollah was hit by a new wave of booby-trapped devices.
The most recent walkie-talkie blasts killed 20 people and injured at least 450, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
The Lebanese Red Cross said it was responding to “multiple explosions in different areas” and remained on high alert.
The day prior, thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded, killing ten adults and two children, and wounding nearly 3,000.
Israel declares ‘a new phase’ of Middle East conflict after Hezbollah hit by new wave of booby-trap bombsReutersFatima Abdullah, 9, was one of the children killed by the blasts. During their funeral the next day, a walkie-talkie blew up in a young man’s hand during the procession.
The Lebanese Prime Minister has described the attacks as a “serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a crime by all standards”.
Israel has not commented on the incidents, though both Lebanese and US sources have placed the blame on Mossad - a spy agency.
Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defence Minister, instead said that the “centre of the gravity” of the fighting was shifting towards the northern border, where Hezbollah and Israel have regularly exchanged rocket fire.
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People gather outside American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) in Beirut, after hand-held radios used by Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday
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People gather outside a hospital as more than 3,000 people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded
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A vendor shows walkie-talkie devices without batteries, which he says he removed for safety reasons
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During a visit to an air base, he said: “We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance.”
The terrorist group has vowed Israel will be “uniquely punished”, with a senior official stating that “revenge is inevitable”.
“We will confront the enemy with a new approach so that they know we are a people who will not retreat,” said Seyed Hashem Safiuddin, without providing any details.
“The resistance tells Netanyahu that we are present and our capabilities remain unharmed,” he added.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that those in the West who support Israel should feel “shame” following the detonations.
“Western countries and the Americans... fully support the crimes, killings and indiscriminate assassinations of the Zionist regime,” Pezeshkian said in a statement, referring to Israel.
Smoke rises from a mobile shop in Sidon, Lebanon
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Coffins of those killed amid the detonation of pagers across Lebanon
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Israeli army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has warned that they have “many more capabilities” that have not been used yet in the fight against Hezbollah.
“We are very determined to create the security conditions that will bring the residents [of the north] back to their homes, to the towns, with a high level of security, and we are ready to do whatever is required to enable this,” he said in a video released by the IDF.
“The rule is that every time we reach a certain stage, we have already prepared to move ahead forcefully with the next two steps. At each stage, the cost for Hezbollah should be high,” he added.
