Pager explosions scare Lebanon phone users

Residents in Lebanon's capital Beirut expressed concern over their personal electronic devices , after a wave of attacks involving exploding pagers and walkie-talkies.

Walkie-talkies exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in a second wave of attacks targeting devices a day after pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and officials for the militant group said.

At least 20 people were killed and more than 450 wounded in the second wave, the Health Ministry said.

Following the attacks, Nabil Balaa, a telecommunications engineer, noted a significant shift in customer behaviour.

“I received numerous calls from customers asking how to hide their devices and what precautions to take,” he said.

Balaa added that while the devices available in the market are generally safe, the real issue lies with specific products that may have been interfered with.

Samah Almasri, owner of a mobile phone shop on Beirut's Hamra high street, said the events had negatively impacted her sales.

“Everyone is now throwing their phones out of their hands; they feel like all phones are being monitored," she said.

The attacks — which were widely believed to be carried out by Israel targeting Hezbollah but have also killed civilians — have hiked fears that the two sides' simmering conflict could escalate into all-out war.