Just as crowds had gathered to mourn some of those killed in Tuesday’s wave of pager-bomb attacks, an explosion sparked chaos in Dahiyeh, Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut.
A video captured the blast, showing a man lying on the ground and panicked people, some screaming, running away.
All this, moments before funerals were due to start for an 11-year-old boy and three Hezbollah members killed the previous day.
In the surrounding area there was bedlam as the sound of the explosion echoed through the streets. The chants stopped. Those gathered looked at each other, some incredulous.
As reports spread that this was part of a second wave of explosions now targeting walkie-talkies, no electronic equipment was considered safe.
Hezbollah supporters stopped our team several times, demanding we did not use our phones or our camera.
Lebanese officials said at least 20 people were killed and 450 others wounded across the country, with fires said to have broken out in dozens of homes, shops, and vehicles.
Already, the latest attacks are being seen as another humiliation for the Iranian-backed group, and a possible indication that its entire communication network may have been infiltrated by Israel.
(BBC News)