Tokyo: After a fresh wave of explosions ripped through Lebanon, mainly targeting hand-held radios (walkie-talkies) used by the armed militant group Hezbollah, Japanese firm ICOM said the production of the radios apparently used in the blasts was discontinued 10 years ago. The hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time as the pagers, according to a security source.
The walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon on Wednesday killed 20 people and wounded over 450 others, a day after thousands of pagers exploded across the country, wounding hundreds of Hezbollah members. Israel is believed to be behind these attacks, stoking tensions and raising the prospects of a wider war between Israel and Hezbollah since heavy fighting between them began a year ago.
Images of the exploded walkie-talkies showed labels bearing the name of Japanese radio communications and telephone company ICOM 6208.T and resembled the firm's model IC-V82 device. The Osaka-based company on Thursday said it was investigating news reports two-way radio devices bearing its logo exploded in Lebanon and would release updated information as it becomes available on its website.
Devices discontinued 10 years ago
The company, which says it manufactures all of its radios in Japan, could not confirm whether it had shipped the device, in part because that model had been discontinued 10 years ago. "The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, it has not been shipped from our company," it said in a statement.
The company has previously warned about counterfeit versions of its devices circulating in the market, especially discontinued models. The Osaka-based firm said its products for overseas markets are sold exclusively through authorised distributors and it vets exports in accordance with Japan's security trade control regulations.
It is unclear how Israel targeted the hand-held radios of Hezbollah members. This came after reports that Israel's Mossad agency intercepted a package of 5,000 Taiwan-made pagers ordered by Hezbollah and discreetly planted 3 g of explosives in them. Multiple media reported that the thousands of pagers exploded after receiving a "cryptic message", marking the largest security breach the Hezbollah has seen in decades.
Israel declares 'new phase of war'
Meanwhile, the Israeli military declared a 'new phase' of war on Wednesday as the walkie-talkie explosions rocked Lebanon. Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, “We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance.” He made no mention of the exploding devices but praised the work of Israel's army and security agencies, saying “the results are very impressive.”
The declaration diminished hopes for a diplomatic solution to the conflict as Israel signals a desire to change the status quo in the country's north, where it has exchanged cross-border fire with Hezbollah since the Lebanese militant group began attacking last year on October 8, a day after the war between Israel and Hamas broke out when the latter launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel.
Hezbollah has been thrown into unprecedented disarray, with one of the officials calling the pager blasts as one of the "biggest security breaches" the group has seen in decades. The explosion of thousands of pagers carried by Hezbollah fighters, medics and others sparked confusion and panic in the group known for military discipline and order. Some tossed away their devices as blasts echoed through Hezbollah-controlled areas of Beirut and other parts of Lebanon.
(with Reuters input)
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