Hezbollah’s leader has accused Israel of carrying out “massacres” with pager and walkie-talkie explosions, saying it wanted to kill “5,000 people in two minutes”.
Lebanon has blamed Israel for the blasts on Tuesday and Wednesday which have killed 37 and injured thousands.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the “unprecedented” explosions “could be called a declaration of war” as he accused Israel of “violating red lines”.
He said 4,000 pagers carried by Hezbollah members exploded in hospitals, shops, cars and streets “where many civilians were” on Tuesday.
A thousand walkie-talkies exploded the following day.
During Nasrallah’s speech, in which he called the blasts an “unprecedented blow” and a “test” for Hezbollah, sonic booms were heard over Beirut which shook buildings.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:36
‘Sonic boom’ interrupts live report
Sky’s International Correspondent John Sparks, who is in Lebanese capital and heard the sound, said Israeli jets could be seen over the city.
He described it as an attempt by Israel to “remind people” in Lebanon of Israel’s presence and their military power.
Israel has not directly commented on the attacks which, according to security sources, were probably carried out by its Mossad spy agency.
The blowing up of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies was a “very sophisticated, very accurate” attack, according to an Israeli intelligence expert.
Major Avraham Levine, from the Alma Center, told Sky News the “blame was immediately put on Israel” and the “surgical” strike suggests “someone is deep into Hezbollah’s communications systems”.
Meanwhile, Iranian state-run news agency IRNA has issued a statement from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami which said Israel will face “a crushing response from the axis of resistance”, following blasts targeting Hezbollah’s communication devices.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
