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Personal devices blasts in Lebanon

Hezbollah reports 20 fighters killed in walkie-talkie explosions

The statement emphasizes that all the deceased were "fighting for the liberation of Jerusalem"

BEIRUT, September 19. /TASS/. Hezbollah's armed wing reported the death of 20 fighters and commanders following the detonation of wireless communication devices triggered by an Israeli cyberattack on Wednesday, according to a communique on the group's Telegram channel.

The statement emphasizes that all the deceased were "fighting for the liberation of Jerusalem." It does not provide details on the specific cities or neighborhoods where Hezbollah members were killed, nor does it include information on the number of wounded within the armed units. Speaking at the fighters’ funeral, Hashem Safieddine, head of the Shiite party's executive committee, stated that "Israel's use of new technologies in attacks will not weaken the resistance forces." He added that the party "will overcome this test with strong will, faith, and determination," and warned that "the occupiers will face an imminent response in which Hezbollah will employ tactics that are unexpected by the enemy."

Earlier, the republic's Health Ministry specified that the number of victims of the second round of explosions of wireless communication devices in Lebanon increased from 14 to 20, with 460 injured. Portable radios Icom IC-V82, smartphones and other devices with lithium-ion batteries and solar panels exploded during the second cyberattack. According to Reuters, the radios were purchased by the Hezbollah movement about five months ago, almost simultaneously with the pagers, hundreds of which exploded in Lebanon on September 17.

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