20 dead, hundreds wounded after another wave of explosions in Lebanon
Israel's defence minister declares 'a new phase in the war'
Walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks targeting devices a day after pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and officials for the militant group said. At least 20 people were killed and more than 450 wounded in the second wave, the Health Ministry said.
The attacks — which were widely believed to be carried out by Israel targeting Hezbollah but have also killed civilians — have hiked fears that the two sides' simmering conflict could escalate into all-out war.
Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, "We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance."
He made no mention of the explosions of electronic devices, but praised the work of Israel's army and security agencies, saying "the results are very impressive."
In Wednesday's attacks, several blasts were heard at a funeral in Beirut for three Hezbollah members and a child killed by exploding pagers the day before, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene. An AP photographer in the southern coastal city of Sidon saw a car and a mobile phone shop damaged after devices exploded inside of them.
Lebanon's official news agency said solar energy systems exploded in homes in several areas of Beirut and the south, wounding at least one girl.
The second wave also deepens concern over the potentially indiscriminate casualties caused in the attacks, in which hundreds of blasts went off wherever the holder of the pager happened to be — in homes, cars, at grocery stores and in cafes, often with family or bystanders nearby.
While the pagers were used by Hezbollah members, there was no guarantee who was holding the device at the time it was detonated. Also, many of the casualties were not Hezbollah fighters, but members of the group's extensive civilian operations mainly serving Lebanon's Shiite community.
At least two health workers were among those killed Tuesday. Doctors, nurses, paramedics, charity workers, teachers and office administrators work for Hezbollah-linked organizations, and an unknown number had pagers.
Mary Ellen O'Connell, a professor of law and international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said booby-traps are banned under international law. "Weaponizing an object used by civilians is strictly prohibited," she said.
The attack, which Israel has not publicly commented on, renewed fears that the simmering conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate into all-out war.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the U.S. is still assessing how the attack could affect efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
"Canada is monitoring ongoing events in Lebanon closely and still gathering information at this time. We are gravely concerned about the reports that civilians, including children, have been killed or injured," Global Affairs Canada said in a post on social media platform X.
"Canada is calling on all sides to avoid further escalations of violence and to protect civilians."
Israeli troops on Lebanon's border
Israel began moving more troops to its border with Lebanon on Wednesday as a precautionary measure, according to an official with knowledge of the movements who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, called for an independent investigation into the mass explosions. "The fear and terror unleashed is profound," he said in a statement, urging world leaders to step up "in defence of the rights of all people to live in peace and security."
Hezbollah and Israeli forces have exchanged fire almost daily since Oct. 8, the day after a deadly Hamas-led assault in southern Israel triggered the war. Since then, hundreds have been killed in the strikes in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, while tens of thousands on each side of the border have been displaced.
Hamas and Hezbollah are allies and both are supported by Iran.
Hezbollah announced three strikes on parts of northern Israel Wednesday, at least one of which took place after the latest round of explosions in Lebanon.
Israeli leaders have issued a series of warnings in recent weeks that they might increase operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying they must stop the exchange of fire to allow people to return to homes near the border.
In his comments, Gallant said that after months of fighting Hamas in Gaza, "the centre of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces."
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu huddled with top security officials at Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv, the country's army chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said plans have been drawn up for additional action against Hezbollah. Israeli media say the government has not yet decided whether to launch a major offensive in Lebanon.
Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to deliver a major speech on Thursday.
Explosions months in making, experts believe
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. is still assessing how the attacks in Lebanon could affect efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
The pager bombings appeared to be a complex operation months in the making, with many experts believing Israel infiltrated the supply chain and rigged hundreds of pagers with explosives before they were imported to Lebanon. But little evidence has emerged so far.
Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese firm, said it authorized a Hungary-based company, BAC Consulting KFT, to use its name on devices delivered to Hezbollah. But a Hungarian government spokesman said Wednesday the pagers delivered to Hezbollah were never in Hungary and that BAC Consultants merely acted as an intermediary.
Hungarian national security services were cooperating with international partners, the Hungarian spokesperson, Zoltán Kovács, posted Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter.
Wednesday's new bombings came as Lebanese were mourning the dead from the day before.
Two explosions went off at the edges of the funeral of two fighters, a young boy and a paramedic in southern Beirut. As ambulances screeched to the scene, the ceremony continued, with a senior Hezbollah official, Hashem Safieddine, telling mourners that Israel's "aggression will face its special punishment."
Israeli drones buzzed overhead — as they do often over Beirut and many parts of Lebanon — as thousands of mourners marched in a procession with the four coffins to a cemetery.
"We will not despair and we will not surrender. We will continue as long as blood circulates in our veins," said one woman, who identified herself as Um Hussein, as she stood outside the cemetery with her four children.
In the village of Nabi Sheet in the Bekaa Valley, dozens gathered to mourn nine-year-old Fatima Abdullah, another victim of the pagers. Her mother, wearing black and donning a yellow Hezbollah scarf, wept alongside other women and children as they gathered around the little girl's coffin before her burial.
With files from CBC News