Rooftop PV systems explode in several parts of Beirut

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) has reported that solar panels and walkie-talkies used by the Hezbollah militant group exploded on Wednesday, following a wave of pager explosions the day before.

The agency reported explosions of rooftop solar systems in several parts of Beirut, but did not provide additional details. It is still unclear whether the blasts were caused by explosives hidden in the panels or some other form of external attack.

In the second wave of explosions, numerous Hezbollah members and civilians were injured by exploding walkie-talkies. The first wave of blasts, which involved pagers, occurred a day earlier.

Reuters, citing the Lebanese health ministry, reported that the second series of explosions resulted in 20 deaths and more than 450 injuries, while the first wave killed 12 people, including two children, and injured nearly 3,000.

Israel has not commented on the explosions, but has said that a “new era” of its cross-border conflict with Hezbollah had begun.