New Delhi, September 19
20 people were killed and more than 450 others injured after walkie-talkies, solar equipment and other electronic devices allegedly used by members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah blasted in various parts of Israel.
The incident took place simultaneously in Lebanon and parts of Syria, killing 12 people and injured some 3,000 others.
The walkie-talkie explosions were reported in the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital Beirut and the Bekaa Valley.
Hezbollah has accused Israel of carrying out the back-to-back explosions, vowing serious retaliation against the Jewish nation.
The militant group announced three strikes in northern Israel, out of which one took place after the walkie-talkie blasts.
In a report by news agency Reuters it was mentioned that the walkie-talkies were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time that the pagers, which exploded were bought.
The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, which has engaged in cross-border skirmishes with Israel since the war with Hamas erupted in October 2023, is known to use pagers and walkie-talkies as low-tech means of communication in an attempt to evade Israeli location tracking.
Hezbollah had instructed its members to avoid mobile phones after the Gaza war began and to rely instead on its own telecommunications system.
