After Mass Burst, Lebanon Bans Walkie Talkie-Pager Taken To Plane

UNSPLASH/Red Dot ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Lebanese authorities on Thursday banned walkie-talkies and pagers from being carried on flights from Beirut airport.

This policy was taken after thousands of these devices exploded in a deadly attack on Hezbollah this week.

Lebanese civil aviation directorate asked airlines operating from Beirut to notify walkie-talkie passengers and pagers to be banned until further notice. Such devices are also prohibited from being delivered by air, the Lebanese state news agency reported.

It was reported that 37 people were killed and more than 3,000 people injured when the pager and walkie-talkie used by Hezbollah members exploded in two waves of attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Lebanon and Hezbollah, Iran-backed fully armed groups, said Israel carried out the attack. But Israel has not yet claimed responsibility.

Lebanese soldiers said they blew up suspicious pagers and telecommunications devices in controlled explosions in various areas. They asked residents to report any suspicious devices.

Hezbollah and Israel exchanged fire against each other across the Lebanese-Israeli border for nearly a year, in a conflict sparked by the Gaza war.