Walkie-talkies explode in Lebanon day after deadly pager attack | CNN

Israel says its war focus is “moving north,” tacitly acknowledging its role in shock twin attacks on Hezbollah in which pagers and walkie-talkies used exploded across Lebanon on consecutive days.

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN he fears that the attacks signal a move to an “introduction to war.”

Here’s what else we know:

People in Lebanon are terrified of everyday communication devices following two days of deadly pager and walkie-talkie blasts, said Nabih Bulos, Middle East bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times.

Speaking from Beirut, Bulos said there is fear that there may be another attack in Lebanon on Thursday.

Hezbollah has long touted secrecy as a cornerstone of its military strategy, forgoing high-tech devices to avoid infiltration from Israeli and US spyware.

At the start of the year, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called on members and their families in southern Lebanon, where fighting with Israeli forces across the border has raged, to dump their cellphones, believing Israel could track the movement of the Iran-backed terror network through those devices.

But the deliberate evasion of surveillance has proven to be ineffective and exposes “part of a larger continuum of intelligence failures over the last few months,” Bulos said.

Japanese firm ICOM said that the model of its walkie-talkie linked to explosions in Lebanon was discontinued a decade ago, and it could not determine whether they were counterfeit or shipped from its company.

The company said production of the batteries in the devices was also discontinued and that “a hologram seal to distinguish counterfeit products was not attached, so it is not possible to confirm whether the product shipped from our company.”

Lebanon’s communications ministry has said that the walkie-talkies used in the attack Wednesday, which killed at least 20 people and injured 450 others, were a discontinued model, the IC-V82, made by the Japanese firm.

The IC-V82 radios were not supplied by a recognized agent, were not licensed and were not vetted by the security services, the ministry said.

ICOM said all of its radios are manufactured in Wakayama Prefecture under a strict management system to ensure “no parts other than those specified by our company are used in a product.”

It also said products for overseas markets are sold exclusively through authorized distributors and that it conducts “strict export controls” based on government security trade regulations. 

Iran has said it will respond after its ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was wounded in the exploding pager attack targeting Hezbollah, which killed at least 12 people,including children, and injured thousands across the country.

Iran backs Hezbollah, which is one of the most powerful militia groups in the Middle East and has been involved in daily exchanges of fire with Israel since the October 7 Hamas attacks. 

CNN has learned that Israel, which refused to comment directly on this week’s series of explosions in Lebanon, was behind the attacks.

The ambassador’s wife said on social media that his treatment “is going well,” according to state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to his Israeli counterpart Wednesday for the third time in 48 hours following consecutive days of pager and walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon attributed to Israel that killed dozens and wounded thousands.

The heightened frequency of the calls underscores the sensitivity of the moment, as US officials push for a diplomatic offramp to an increasingly volatile situation between Israel and Hezbollah. 

Austin spoke to Gallant twice on Tuesday. In the first of those calls, Gallant notified Austin that Israel was going to carry out an operation in Lebanon but gave no details on what the operation would entail. 

The White House reiterated Wednesday that the US was not involved in the series of attacks in Lebanon.

The US learned about the operation’s details from reports of exploding Hezbollah pagers a short time later. 

After declining to comment on Tuesday’s pager explosions, Gallant appeared to reference the attacks during a visit Wednesday to the Ramat-David Air Force base in northern Israel.

Gallant praised the “excellent achievements” of the Israel Defense Forces, together with the country’s security agency, the Shin Bet, and its intelligence agency, Mossad.

Gallant’s comment is the first time an Israeli official has tacitly acknowledged Israel’s role in the twin attacks.

Japanese firm ICOM said it was investigating reports that its walkie-talkies were used in the explosions Wednesday in Lebanon, which killed at least 20 people and injured more than 450. 

The company said it would release information as it becomes available. 

The walkie-talkies that exploded on Wednesday were a discontinued model made by the Japanese firm, according to Lebanon’s communications ministry.

The IC-V82 radios were not supplied by a recognized agent, were not officially licensed and had not been vetted by the security services, the ministry said.

The company’s website says the IC-V82 has been discontinued, and almost all models in current circulation are counterfeit.

Photos shared on social media Wednesday alongside claims they show some of the exploded devices bear markings consistent with the IC-V82, a CNN analysis found.

Israel has severely disrupted Hezbollah’s communications network, possibly paving the way for an imminent military offensive in Lebanon, says CNN intelligence and security analyst Bob Baer. 

This week’s attacks rendered Hezbollah unable to coordinate operations effectively, giving Israel a significant strategic advantage in their conflict, according to the former CIA operative.

Baer noted that recent comments by Israel’s defense minister indicate a shift in focus towards Hezbollah, with Israel “pivoting north” after concentrating efforts on Gaza. He said this escalation could lead to an invasion or a widespread bombardment of Lebanon. 

Baer described Israel’s breach of Hezbollah’s supply and communication network as a “great defeat” for the group. This tactical achievement has crippled Hezbollah’s ability to mobilize forces, coordinate attacks, and manage logistics. 

“The fact that Israel got into their supply network is unprecedented,” Baer remarked, highlighting the disruption of Hezbollah’s use of walkie-talkies as particularly damaging because Hezbollah relies on them to call in fire coordinates, move ammunition, and communicate in real-time. 

This leaves Hezbollah vulnerable if Israel moves forward with its military plans. 

Baer, who has tracked Hezbollah for years, expressed astonishment at the precision and scale of the Israeli operation. 

Baer said that the operation reflects Israel’s remarkable technical capabilities and emphasized that Hezbollah has long been known for its disciplined and secure communications, making Israel’s breakthrough even more significant. 

He also suggested that the operation serves as a warning to other hostile actors in the region. Israel’s ability to penetrate Hezbollah’s communication network could signal to countries like Syria, Egypt, and Jordan that their systems may be vulnerable to similar infiltration. 

Taiwan’s defense ministry denied it was informed beforehand of any connection between the use of Taiwanese-branded pagers and the deadly attack in Lebanon on Tuesday targeting Hezbollah members. 

CNN has reported that Tuesday’s pager explosion attacks, which have heightened tensions in a region already on edge, was a joint operation between Israel’s intelligence service, the Mossad, and the Israeli military.

Israel has tacitly acknowledged its role in the shock operation, which also saw dozens of walkie-talkies explode across Lebanon, as it said a “new era” of war was beginning.

Damaged products identified in images following the wave of deadly pager explosions Tuesday appeared to show the labels of Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo. 

When asked whether Israel had informed Taiwan in advance of the attack, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo flatly responded: “Impossible.” 

Defense ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said Wednesday that Taiwan was “not involved in any international cooperation outside of this region that is sort of a provocative nature.”

He said the ministry would not speculate on who manufactured or modified the pagers. 

Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-kuang denied making the pagers bearing its brand name used in the attack – later pointing, without evidence, to the Budapest-registered BAC Consulting firm.

Hungarian authorities denied Gold Apollo’s suggestion, saying that BAC Consulting “is a trading intermediary” with no manufacturing sites in the country. 

The various allegations raise further questions as to who manufactured the devices and just how they made their way into Hezbollah’s pockets.

Hezbollah announced the death of 16 members on Wednesday, one of the deadliest days for the group since the Israel-Hamas war started on October 7. 

The Iran-backed militant group did not give details on the circumstances of the deaths, but said most were from towns in the south of Lebanon. 

Among those who died was a 16-year-old boy, it said. 

The announcement came after walkie-talkie explosions across Lebanon on Wednesday killed at least 20 people, according to the country’s health ministry. It also came as the Israeli military announced it had struck several Hezbollah “infrastructure sites” in southern Lebanon.

Ninety-five people injured in this week’s device explosions in Lebanon are being transferred to Iran for further treatment, Iran’s state news agency IRNA said Wednesday, citing Pirhossein Koulivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society. 

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said it dispatched a team on Wednesday following Tuesday’s deadly pager explosions in Lebanon. Later on Wednesday, walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon killed at least 20 people.

Videos posted on Iranian semi-official outlets show individuals being transferred by stretchers and taken onboard a plane, their heads and eyes wrapped in bandages. 

Iran accused Israel of carrying out a “terrorist act” and “genocide” after pagers — some owned by Hezbollah members — blew up nearly simultaneously on Tuesday in an unprecedented attack. CNN has learned that Israel was behind Tuesday’s attacks, though Israeli officials have not commented on either day’s attacks publicly.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday it struck several Hezbollah “infrastructure sites” in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military “struck a Hezbollah launcher” as well as “infrastructure sites in the areas of Halta, Kfarkela, Odaisseh, and Chama in southern Lebanon,” the IDF said in a statement.

The strikes came after “approximately 20 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon” into the country’s northern-most territory, known as the Upper Galilee, the IDF added.

The IDF said it had intercepted “some of the projectiles,” and no injuries were reported.

Hezbollah claimed to have attacked several Israeli military sites in northern Israel with rockets throughout Wednesday. The Iran-backed militant group described those attacks as being in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The group also announced the deaths of at least 11 members on Wednesday but did not give details on the circumstances.

The post was updated with the latest information on the Hezbollah death toll.

Lebanon’s communications ministry said the walkie-talkie devices that exploded on Wednesday were a discontinued model made by the Japanese firm ICOM.

The IC-V82 radios were not supplied by a recognized agent, were not officially licensed and had not been vetted by the security services, the ministry said.

ICOM has not responded to a CNN’s request for comment. On its website it says the IC-V82 has been discontinued, and almost all models in current circulation are counterfeit.

Photos circulating on social media Wednesday, claiming to show some of the exploded devices, bear markings consistent with the IC-V82, a CNN analysis found.

The White House reiterated Wednesday that the United States was not involved in a series of attacks that saw booby-trapped devices explode this week in Lebanon.

Pressed in a follow-up exchange with another reporter, Kirby wouldn’t say if Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin received a heads up on Wednesday’s attack, which saw scores of walkie-talkies explode across Lebanon, during a Tuesday call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Kirby repeatedly declined to confirm on the record that Israel was behind the electronics attacks, telling reporters, “I’m not going to get into intelligence assessment, estimates and assessments from here. 

CNN has reported that Tuesday’s pager explosion attacks, which have heightened tensions in a region already on edge, was a joint operation between Israel’s intelligence service, the Mossad, and the Israeli military. The Lebanese government condemned the attack as “criminal Israeli aggression.”

But Kirby acknowledged the administration is concerned over the prospect of tensions escalating in the region, saying the US does not believe “additional military operations” are the solution. He pointed to diplomacy instead.

United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has condemned the pager blasts in Lebanon on Tuesday that killed at least 12 people and injured around 2,800.

Türk called the attacks a violation of international humanitarian law and called for an “independent, thorough and transparent investigation.”   

CNN has learned that the Israeli military and intelligence service were behind Tuesday’s attack, but Israeli officials have not publicly commented on it, or on Wednesday’s walkie-talkie explosions. 

Türk also did not comment on Wednesday’s walk-talkie blasts, and his comments were only in reference to the Tuesday pager blasts.

The UN rights chief also said that whoever ordered and carried out the attack “must be held to account.” Turk’s call for an investigation into the blasts was echoed by International NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) who said the investigation should be “prompt” and “urgently conducted.” 

“Customary international humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby traps – objects that civilians are likely to be attracted to or are associated with normal civilian daily use – precisely to avoid putting civilians at grave risk and produce the devastating scenes that continue to unfold across Lebanon today,” HRW’s Middle East and North Africa director Lama Fakih said.

Israel launched the Tuesday pager attack after it believed the capability had been discovered by Hezbollah, according to an Israeli source familiar with national security.

The pager attack was not meant to escalate the tensions with Lebanon but was a “surgical” strike on Hezbollah, the source said.

The source noted the Iranian ties to Hezbollah, adding “You have to ask why the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon was holding a Hezbollah beeper.”

A Taiwanese electronics manufacturer said a tiny European company made the pagers linked to the deadly attack targeting Hezbollah members in Lebanon on Tuesday, as a fresh wave of walkie-talkie explosions rocked parts of the country on Wednesday and questions swirled over how the devices made it there.

At the non-descript offices of Gold Apollo on the outskirts of the Taiwanese capital on Wednesday, the founder of the company, Hsu Ching-kuang, vehemently denied making the pagers bearing its brand name that were used in Tuesday’s massive assault – later pointing, without evidence, to the Budapest-registered BAC Consulting firm.

The allegations raise further questions as to who manufactured the devices and just how they made their way into Hezbollah’s pockets.

Hungarian authorities denied Gold Apollo’s suggestion late Wednesday, saying the Budapest-registered company “is a trading intermediary” with no manufacturing sites in the country. “The referenced devices have never been in Hungary,” Hungary’s State Secretary for International Communication Zoltan Kovacs said.

CNN has attempted to reach BAC through the website that Gold Apollo gave to reporters, and at the address listed for its office, located in a residential area of Budapest.

CNN also reached out to BAC Consulting chief executive Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono through an email address and phone number listed for her, but has not received a response. NBC News reported that Bársony-Arcidiacono had confirmed in a phone call that her company worked with Gold Apollo, but denied making the pagers, saying, “I am just the intermediate.”

CNN could not confirm her statement.

Read more about the origins of the devices here.

Gianluca Mezzofiore, Tamara Qiblawi, Pallabi Munsi, Oren Liebermann and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN he fears that theconsecutive deadly attacks in Lebanon signal a move to an “introduction to war.”

The foreign minister’s comments come after walkie-talkies exploded in the country a day after pager blasts killed at least 12 people. 

CNN has learned that Israel was behind Tuesday’s attacks, though Israeli officials have not commented on either day’s attacks.