• People react around a car after a reported explosion during a funeral. AFP
    People react around a car after a reported explosion during a funeral. AFP
  • Firefighters stand outside a mobile phone shop after walkie-talkies exploded inside, in the southern port city of Sidon. AP
    Firefighters stand outside a mobile phone shop after walkie-talkies exploded inside, in the southern port city of Sidon. AP
  • A walkie-talkie that exploded inside a house in Baalbek, east Lebanon. AP
    A walkie-talkie that exploded inside a house in Baalbek, east Lebanon. AP
  • Lebanese army soldiers blow up a communication device next to the American University of Beirut. EPA
    Lebanese army soldiers blow up a communication device next to the American University of Beirut. EPA
  • Mourners carry the coffins of victims who were killed on Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, during their funeral procession in the southern suburb of Beirut. AP
    Mourners carry the coffins of victims who were killed on Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, during their funeral procession in the southern suburb of Beirut. AP
  • Hashim Safieddine, a Shiite Muslim cleric and head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, speaks at a funeral in Beirut's southern suburbs. AFP
    Hashim Safieddine, a Shiite Muslim cleric and head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, speaks at a funeral in Beirut's southern suburbs. AFP
  • A man holds a walkie talkie device after he removed the battery during a funeral. AFP
    A man holds a walkie talkie device after he removed the battery during a funeral. AFP
  • An ambulance arrives in the southern suburb of Beirut after blasts were reported. EPA
    An ambulance arrives in the southern suburb of Beirut after blasts were reported. EPA
  • A man donates blood, one day after the explosions. EPA
    A man donates blood, one day after the explosions. EPA
  • An injured man undergoes an operation, following the explosions. Reuters
    An injured man undergoes an operation, following the explosions. Reuters

Death toll rises to 25 in Lebanon walkie-talkie explosions


  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

The death toll from the walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon on Wednesday has risen to 25, with at least 608 wounded, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, as fears mount of the war in Gaza expanding to Lebanon.

Those killed were all members of Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed group, which acknowledged the deaths in individual statements commemorating each person.

The attack came as Lebanon was reeling from pager explosions on Tuesday, which killed 12 people, including two children, and injured at least 2,750 others in a suspected Israeli attack on Hezbollah's communication devices. Hundreds suffered severe eye injuries or were blinded by the exploding pagers, western intelligence sources told The National.

In the span of two days, the two waves of device detonations killed 37 people and maimed countless others.

The walkie-talkie explosions were heard across Beirut and eastern and southern Lebanon as funerals of the pager blast victims were being held on Wednesday afternoon, sending mourners into panic.

The unprecedented attacks, which have not been officially claimed by Israel, dealt a major blow to Hezbollah and pushed fears of all-out war to the highest level since the group began exchanging cross-border attacks with Israel on October 8, spurred by the war in Gaza.

Lebanon's civil aviation authority has banned all walkie-talkies and pagers on flights out of the country. Airlines are instructed to inform all departing passengers that the devices are banned on-board and cannot be carried in hand luggage or cargo, according to a Thursday circular published by state media. Any pagers or walkie-talkies found at the airport will be immediately confiscated, the authority added, saying the decision will come into effect immediately.

Hours after the explosions on Wednesday, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the military's focus would turn to Lebanon as Israel enters a “new phase” of war.

“We are opening a new phase in the war – it requires courage, determination and perseverance from us,” he said in a visit to an air force base.

Gen Ori Gordin, who leads the Israeli military’s northern command, said the army is “determined to change the security situation in the north as soon as possible”, and that troops are at “peak readiness”.

“We still have many capabilities that we have not yet activated,” he said in a visit to troops holding drills simulating fighting in Lebanon, according to the army.

Some of the walkie-talkies that exploded in Lebanon on Wednesday bore the logo of Japanese manufacturer Icom. Reuters
Some of the walkie-talkies that exploded in Lebanon on Wednesday bore the logo of Japanese manufacturer Icom. Reuters

Cross-border fire continued on Thursday, with Israel striking several areas in southern Lebanon amid reports that eight Israelis were wounded in anti-tank missile fire. Hezbollah claimed it had targeted a military position in Misgav Am, causing deaths and injuries, though there was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.

In Lebanon, civil defence teams said they carried out 211 rescue and relief missions on Wednesday alone, with firefighters called to 25 different sites hit by Israeli attacks. Paramedics responded to 28 reports of people wounded in Israeli shelling, state media said.

The method used to carry out the pager and walkie-talkie attacks is still not clear. According to The New York Times, Israeli intelligence planted explosives in about 5,000 pagers some months ago. Hezbollah switched to pagers as their main form of communication in recent months amid fears mobile phones posed a security threat.

Schools in Lebanon were closed on Wednesday following the first wave of attacks and are expected to reopen on Thursday, according to Education Minister Abbas Al Halabi, who told people “not to listen to rumours on social media”.

Tuesday's attacks, which overwhelmed Beirut's hospitals and prompted Iraq, Iran and Egypt to send medical aid, saw thousands of Hezbollah pagers explode across Beirut, southern Lebanon, and also in Damascus.

Iran's envoy to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, was among the wounded, and was reported by The New York Times to have lost an eye – a claim denied by the embassy.

A Taiwan-based firm, Gold Apollo, denied they manufactured the pagers, and said the devices were outsourced to BAC Consulting – a Budapest-based company with little online presence.

On Thursday, the Japanese company Icom, whose brand was seen on some of the walkie-talkies that exploded, said it had stopped manufacturing that model a decade ago.

“The IC-V82 is a hand-held 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 on its website.

“The production of the batteries needed to operate the main unit has also been discontinued, and a hologram seal to distinguish counterfeit products was not attached, so it is not possible to confirm whether the product shipped from our company.”

It also said it had “strict” export controls and used only authorised distributors.

WHAT%20IS%20THE%20LICENSING%20PROCESS%20FOR%20VARA%3F
%3Cp%3EVara%20will%20cater%20to%20three%20categories%20of%20companies%20in%20Dubai%20(except%20the%20DIFC)%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20A%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Minimum%20viable%20product%20(MVP)%20applicants%20that%20are%20currently%20in%20the%20process%20of%20securing%20an%20MVP%20licence%3A%20This%20is%20a%20three-stage%20process%20starting%20with%20%5B1%5D%20a%20provisional%20permit%2C%20graduating%20to%20%5B2%5D%20preparatory%20licence%20and%20concluding%20with%20%5B3%5D%20operational%20licence.%20Applicants%20that%20are%20already%20in%20the%20MVP%20process%20will%20be%20advised%20by%20Vara%20to%20either%20continue%20within%20the%20MVP%20framework%20or%20be%20transitioned%20to%20the%20full%20market%20product%20licensing%20process.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20B%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Existing%20legacy%20virtual%20asset%20service%20providers%20prior%20to%20February%207%2C%202023%2C%20which%20are%20required%20to%20come%20under%20Vara%20supervision.%20All%20operating%20service%20proviers%20in%20Dubai%20(excluding%20the%20DIFC)%20fall%20under%20Vara%E2%80%99s%20supervision.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20C%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20New%20applicants%20seeking%20a%20Vara%20licence%20or%20existing%20applicants%20adding%20new%20activities.%20All%20applicants%20that%20do%20not%20fall%20under%20Category%20A%20or%20B%20can%20begin%20the%20application%20process%20through%20their%20current%20or%20prospective%20commercial%20licensor%20%E2%80%94%20the%20DET%20or%20Free%20Zone%20Authority%20%E2%80%94%20or%20directly%20through%20Vara%20in%20the%20instance%20that%20they%20have%20yet%20to%20determine%20the%20commercial%20operating%20zone%20in%20Dubai.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi

Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi

Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni

Rating: 2.5/5

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

MATCH INFO

Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')

Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')

Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)

Griselda
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Andr%C3%A9s%20Baiz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3ESof%C3%ADa%20Vergara%2C%20Alberto%20Guerra%2C%20Juliana%20Aiden%20Martinez%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

The biog

Age: 32

Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.

Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas

Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

The specs

Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder

Power: 220 and 280 horsepower

Torque: 350 and 360Nm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT 

On sale: now

The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Age: 30

Position: Senior lab superintendent at Emirates Global Aluminium

Education: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering, post graduate degree in light metal reduction technology

Favourite part of job: The challenge, because it is challenging

Favourite quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Gandi

Polarised public

31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all

Source: YouGov

Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

While you're here
Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Rating: 2/5
In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 582bhp

Torque: 730Nm

Price: Dh649,000

On sale: now  

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

How the bonus system works

The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.

The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.

There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).

All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Updated: September 19, 2024, 4:28 PM