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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Second wave of device explosions rocks Lebanon

Mourners carry the coffins of people killed after hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon the previous day, during their funeral procession in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday. Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday, killing at least nine people and wounding around 2,800 in blasts the Iran-backed militant group blamed on Israel.  (Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS)
By Nabih Bulos Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times

BEIRUT – A fresh wave of explosions caused by booby-trapped communication devices wracked Lebanon on Wednesday, the second such attack in as many days in what was believed to be an electronic sabotage campaign targeting Hezbollah.

The latest attack, which affected hundreds of walkie-talkies across the country, killed at least nine people and wounded 300 others, the Lebanese health ministry said.

It comes on the heels of Tuesday’s bombings, which saw thousands of handheld pagers detonate, killing 12 people and leaving thousands of others with bloodied and mutilated hands, eyes and torsos.

Lebanon’s civil defense said its personnel were putting out fires inside “homes, cars and stores” in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon’s south as well as in the capital’s southern suburbs – areas considered to be supportive of Hezbollah.

The Red Cross said it had deployed roughly 30 ambulance teams.

The attack took place at roughly 5 p.m. local time, while Hezbollah officials were taking part in a large funeral ceremony for four victims of Tuesday’s pager explosions, including the son of a prominent Hezbollah lawmaker and a young boy.

Video from a funeral ceremony in the country’s south depicted an explosion inside an ambulance, leading bystanders to run away in panic. The Times could not independently verify the video.