We are at the start of a new phase in the war: Israeli Defence Minister

Walkietalkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and multiple parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks targeting electronic devices a day after hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah blew up state media and Hezbollah officials saidAt least nine people were killed and more than 300 people wounded in the second wave the Health Ministry saidThe attacks which were widely believed to be carried out by Israel targeting Hezbollah have hiked fears that the two sides simmering conflict could escalate into allout warSpeaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said ldquoWe are at the start of a new phase in the war mdash it requires courage determination and perseverancerdquoHe made no mention of the explosions of electronic devices but praised the work of Israels army and security agencies saying ldquothe results are very impressiverdquoIn Wednesdays attacks several blasts were heard at a funeral in Beirut for three Hezbollah members and a child killed by exploding pagers the day before according to Associated Press journalists at the scene An AP photographer in the southern coastal city of Sidon saw a car and a mobile phone shop damaged after devices exploded inside of them A girl was hurt in the south when a solar energy system blew up the state news agency reportedThe new blasts hit a country still roiling with confusion and anger after Tuesdays pager bombings which appeared to be a complex Israeli attack targeting Hezbollah members that caused civilian casualties too Tuesdays bombings killed at least 12 people including two children and wounded some 2800 othersThe second wave also deepens concern over the potentially indiscriminate casualties caused in the attacks in which hundreds of blasts went off wherever the holder of the pager happened to be mdash in homes cars at grocery stores and in cafes often with family or bystanders nearbyWhile the pagers were used by Hezbollah members there was no guarantee who was holding the device at the time of the blast Also many of the casualties were not Hezbollah fighters but members of the groups extensive civilian operations mainly serving Lebanons Shiite communityAt least two health workers were among those killed Tuesday Doctors nurses paramedics charity workers teachers and office administrators work for Hezbollahlinked organisations and an unknown number had pagersThe UN human rights chief Volker Tuumlrk called for an independent investigation into the mass explosions ldquoThe fear and terror unleashed is profoundrdquo he said in a statement urging world leaders to step up ldquoin defence of the rights of all people to live in peace and securityrdquoIranbacked Hezbollah mdash Lebanons strongest armed force mdash and Israels military have exchanged fire almost daily since October 8 the day after a deadly Hamasled assault in southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza Since then hundreds have been killed in strikes in Lebanon and dozens in Israel while tens of thousands on each side of the border have been displaced Hezbollah said its strikes are in support of its ally HamasIsraeli leaders have issued a series of warnings in recent weeks that they might increase operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon saying they must put a stop to the exchanges to allow people to return to homes near the border Israel began moving more troops to its border with Lebanon on Wednesday as a precautionary measure according to an official with knowledge of the movements who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the mediaIn his comments Gallant said that after months of fighting Hamas in Gaza ldquothe center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forcesrdquo As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu huddled with top security officials at Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv the countrys army chief Lt Gen Herzi Halevi said plans have been drawn up for additional action against HezbollahSecretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the US is still assessing how the attack could affect efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the IsraelHamasNew details on the pager bombings began to emerge An American official said Israel briefed the United States after the attack in which small amounts of explosive had been hidden in the devices The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the information publiclyThe AR924 pagers used in Tuesdays attack were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT which is based in the Hungarian capital of Budapest according to a statement released by Gold Apollo a Taiwanese firm that authorized the use of its brand on the pagersGold Apollos chair Hsu Chingkuang told journalists Wednesday the firm has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years But the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BACrdquo Gold Apollo said in a statementAt the headquarters of a building in a residential neighborhood of Budapest the names of multiple companies including BAC Consulting are posted on pieces of paper on a windowA woman who emerged from the building and declined to give her name said the site provides headquarter addresses to various companiesBACs parent company is registered to Cristiana Rosaria BaacutersonyArcidiacono whose describes herself on her LinkedIn page as a strategic advisor and business developerThe Associated Press has attempted to reach BaacutersonyArcidiacono via the LinkedIn page and has been unable to establish a connection between her or BAC and the exploding pagersThe attack in Lebanon started Tuesday afternoon when pagers in their owners hands or pockets started heating up and then exploding mdash leaving bloodsplattered scenes and panicking bystandersIt appeared that most of those hit were members or linked to members of Hezbollah mdash whether fighters or civilians mdash but it was not immediately clear if people with no ties to Hezbollah were also hitThe Health Ministry said health care workers and two children were among those killed In the village of Nadi Sheet in the Bekaa Valley dozens gathered to mourn the death of one of the children 9yearold Fatima AbdullahHer mother wearing black and donning a yellow Hezbollah scarf wept alongside other women and children as they gathered around the little girls coffin before her burialHezbollah said in a statement Wednesday morning that it would continue its normal strikes against Israel as part of what it describes as a support front for its ally Hamas and Palestinians in GazaldquoThis path is continuous and separate from the difficult reckoning that the criminal enemy must await for its massacre on Tuesdayrdquo it said ldquoThis is another reckoning that will come God willingrdquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever