At least 20 killed, 450 wounded in fresh wave of Lebanon device explosions
Communication devices used by Lebanon's armed group Hezbollah detonated late Wednesday afternoon across the country's south and in the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, killing at least 20 people and wounding 450, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The attack comes a day after exploding pagers killed 12 people in Lebanon and Syria, including two children, and injured around 2,800 others. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
Yesterday's key developments:
At least nine people were killed and 2,750 were wounded on Tuesday when pagers exploded across Lebanon, Health Minister Firass Abiad said. Hundreds of Hezbollah members were among the wounded, according to security sources.
Hezbollah blamed Israel for the explosions, saying in a statement: "We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression," and adding that Israel "will certainly receive its just punishment".
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced an expansion of the country's war goals to include the return of northern residents who fled cross-border fire traded with Hamas ally Hezbollah.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP, Reuters)
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