No fewer than 20 people have been killed and more than 450 others wounded by a second wave of explosions from wireless communication devices in Lebanon.
Reports say a large number of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah blew up in the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon, which are seen as its strongholds.
Some of the blasts took place during funerals for some of the 12 people who the ministry said were killed when Hezbollah members’ pagers exploded across the country on Tuesday.
Hezbollah blamed Israel for Tuesday’s attack and vowed revenge. Israel has so far declined to comment.
Wednesday’s deadly explosions represent another humiliation for Hezbollah and a possible indication that its entire communication network might have been infiltrated by Israel.
Many Lebanese are still shocked – and angered – by what happened on Tuesday, when thousands of pagers exploded at the same time, after people received a message they believed had come from the group.
Twelve people – including an eight-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy – were killed and 2,800 others were wounded by the blasts, according to the Lebanese health minister.
A BBC team was at a funeral for four of those killed in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiya on Wednesday when they heard a loud explosion around 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT).
There was chaos and confusion among the mourners, and then reports started to come in of explosions happening in other parts of the country as well.
