A photo taken on September 18, 2024, in Beirut’s southern suburbs shows the remains of exploded pagers on display at an undisclosed location. Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon on September 17, killing at least nine people and wounding around 2,800 in blasts the Iran-backed militant group blamed on Israel. - AFPpix

Lebanon bans pagers, walkie-talkies on flights after blasts

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BEIRUT: Lebanon’s General Directorate of Civil Aviation banned pagers and walkie-talkies on flights on Thursday, a day after two waves of device explosions across the country.

At least 32 people were killed and 3,250 others injured on Tuesday and Wednesday in explosions that targeted thousands of wireless communication devices across the country, Anadolu Agency reported.

In a statement, the directorate said it instructed airlines operating in Rafic Hariri Airport to inform passengers that pagers and walkie-talkies are prohibited on flights.

The ban applies to both checked luggage and carry-on items, it said, warning that any such devices will be confiscated.

Lebanese group Hezbollah has accused Israel of being behind the device explosions and vowed retaliation.

There has been no Israeli comment on the device blasts, which came amid an escalation in cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Israel’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,300 people, mostly women and children since last Oct 7.

- Bernama, Anadolu