Israel declared a “new era” of warfare on Wednesday, partly acknowledging its involvement in recent attacks on Hezbollah. The first wave of explosions, which occurred 24 hours earlier, targeted Hezbollah members and resulted in multiple deaths, including children, and injuries to over 2,800 people.
A second wave of blasts followed, killing at least 20 and wounding 450, though Israel suspects the actual toll is higher. Among those targeted was Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit. One explosion occurred during a Hezbollah funeral for victims of the earlier attack. Explosions were reported in Beirut and southern Lebanon, with devices detonating in cars and other locations.
Images circulating online purported to show the devices, which appeared to be different and larger than the pagers that exploded Tuesday. The hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time that the pagers were bought, said a security source.
