Beirut, Lebanon: The funeral procession for Hezbollah militants killed in pager attacks the day before turned chaotic on Wednesday. An explosion from a walkie-talkie sparked a panicked rush to flee the outdoor Beirut funeral in the southern suburbs, leaving one more trail of fear and confusion.
- This was the second round of pager attacks on the devices of Hezbollah members.
- At least 12 people were killed and thousands injured Tuesday in explosions from pagers that had been packed with explosives.
- Wednesday’s assault on walkie-talkies left 20 dead and more than 450 injured.
The first blast dropped the crowd into weird silence. Despite the elaborate chanting of religious phrases, mourners were stunned, shocked, and exchanged confused glimpses. Panic set in shortly thereafter, with people running for cover and yelling warnings about switching off phones and removing the batteries.
Um Ibrahim is another sobbing woman facing the chaos, begging for a reporter’s phone to call her children. She kept on screaming at them to unplug their devices and remain put.
This is one of the most unfortunate trends so far. In this conflict in this war, political tensions have heightened into a kind of cowering technological warfare in the region.
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