GettyAs crowds gathered to mourn some of those killed in the Wave of pager bomb attacks on TuesdayAn explosion has caused chaos in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold south of Beirut.
A video of the explosion shows a man lying on the ground and people panicking, some screaming and running away.
All this took place just before the funerals of an 11-year-old boy and three Hezbollah members killed the day before began.
The surrounding area was in chaos, the sound of explosions echoed throughout the streets. The shouting stopped. The people gathered looked at each other, some of them in disbelief.
As reports spread that this was part of the The second blast wave is now aimed at the radio.No electronic device is considered secure.
Hezbollah supporters blocked our team several times, asking us not to use phones or cameras.
Lebanese officials said at least 20 people were killed and 450 others injured across the country, and fires were reported to have broken out in dozens of homes, shops and vehicles.
The latest attacks are now being seen as a further humiliation for the Iran-backed group and could be a sign that its entire communications network may have been penetrated by Israel.
Many people here must be wondering what happens next.
This is a country still shocked and angry about what happened on Tuesday, when thousands of pagers exploded in a coordinated attack, after users received a message they believed was from Hezbollah.
The devices exploded while people were in stores or at home with their families, killing 12 people, including an 8-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy, and injuring about 2,800.
Dr Elias Warrak told the BBC it was “the worst day ever”. [his] “The life of a doctor,” he said. “At least 60% of the people I met had lost at least one eye, and many had lost fingers or entire hands.
“I believe the number of casualties and the type of damage that was done was enormous,” he said. “Unfortunately, we were unable to save many eyes, and unfortunately the damage was not limited to the eyes – some of them suffered brain damage in addition to any facial damage.”
Reports suggest a shipment of pagers may have been rigged with explosives before being detonated remotely.
Hezbollah has distributed pagers amid concerns that the Israeli military and intelligence agencies are using smartphones to track and kill its members. It is unclear how Wednesday’s attacks were carried out.
Getty ImagesBut Hezbollah has vowed to respond, blaming Israel for the attacks. As usual, Israel has not commented.
Fears have been renewed that the current violence between the two hostile countries, which has displaced tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border, could escalate into all-out war.
Hezbollah says the attacks on Israel, which began nearly a year ago, are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, and will only stop when there is a ceasefire, an elusive possibility at present.
Mourners speaking to the BBC at Dahiyeh’s funeral also struck a defiant tone.
“The pain is great, physically and in the heart,” said one young man. “But this is something we are used to, and we will continue to resist.”
A 45-year-old woman told the BBC: “This will make us stronger, anyone who loses an eye will fight with the other eye and we will all stand together.”
Hours after the latest explosion, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his country was “at the beginning of a new war”, as the Israeli army’s 98th Division moved from Gaza to northern Israel.
Hezbollah has so far indicated that it has no interest in another major war with Israel, as Lebanon struggles to recover from a years-long economic crisis. Many here say a conflict is not in the country’s interests.
But some will surely demand a strong response. A sign of what Hezbollah might be planning may come Thursday, in the first public response from its powerful leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
