Beirut [Lebanon], September 19: At least 14 people were killed and 450 others injured in the second wave of explosions related to electronic devices in Lebanon in two days, the Health Ministry in Beirut said on Wednesday in an update to an earlier report.
A new wave of blasts was heard across Beirut's southern suburbs and southern Lebanon earlier on Wednesday, witnesses in the area told DPA.
A source in the pro-Iranian Lebanese militia Hezbollah said wireless devices like walkie-talkies had exploded. A Lebanese security source confirmed that it was walkie-talkies that had exploded, some of them in cars and some of which were being carried by Hezbollah members on motorbikes.
The sound of blasts coincided with Hezbollah mourning some of the people who died in Tuesday's detonations of pagers, which killed 12 and wounded some 2,800.
Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the detonations on Tuesday and promised retaliation. Several of its fighters, as well as high-ranking representatives and members of the Radwan Force, an elite unit within the group, are said to be among the victims.
The Israeli army has not yet commented on the accusations but has since raised its alert level in anticipation of possible military action from Hezbollah.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he believes the detonations could be a sign of an imminent massive escalation in the region.
"Obviously the logic of making all these devices explode is to do it as a pre-emptive strike before a major military operation," he said in New York during a press conference on Wednesday, referring to Tuesday's events. News of Wednesday's blasts were coming in as he spoke.
He said everything needed to be done to avoid such "a dramatic escalation in Lebanon." The UN Security Council plans to convene an emergency meeting in response to the explosions at 1900 GMT on Friday, according to diplomatic sources.
Among Tuesday's dead are an 8-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy, caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad said at a news briefing at the Health Ministry in Beirut. Between 2,750 and 2,800 people were wounded in the attack, with 300 of those in critical condition, he said.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is scheduled to make a statement at 5pm (1400 GMT) on Thursday to address "the latest developments," the Iranian-backed militia said.
Iran has dispatched medical relief teams to Lebanon following Tuesday's explosions.
Source: Qatar Tribune