Walkie-talkie explosions hit Lebanon; Israel declares ‘new era’ of war

[KARAH RUCKER]

AT LEAST 20 PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND HUNDREDS MORE HURT AFTER A SECOND WAVE OF EXPLOSIONS IN LEBANON ON WEDNESDAY.

WIRELESS DEVICES WERE ONCE AGAIN THE TARGET — THIS TIME WALKIE-TALKIES.

LIKE TUESDAY’S PAGER EXPLOSIONS THAT LEFT A DOZEN PEOPLE DEAD AND THOUSANDS HURT — THE WALKIE TALKIE EXPLOSIONS ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN ORCHESTRATED BY ISRAEL according to the united states and other countries briefed on the incident.

ISRAEL HAS not COMMENTED *BUT* THE COUNTRY’S MILITARY LEADER DID SAY A “NEW ERA” OF WAR IS BEGINNING AND SAID ITS “CENTER OF GRAVITY IS MOVING NORTH” — potentially a reference to ISRAEL’S BORDER WITH LEBANON.

THE ATTACKS — WHICH ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN TARGETING HEZBOLLAH — HAVE LEFT DOZENS OF fighters **and CIVILIANS DEAD.

ISRAEL — A KEY ALLY TO THE U-S — *DID* WARN DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN ON TUESDAY IT WAS GOING TO CARRY OUT AN OPERATION IN LEBANON, BUT MULTIPLE SOURCES FAMILIAR WITH THE MATTER SAID DETAILS WERE *NOT* GIVEN… SO THE U-S WAS reportedly IN THE DARK UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST WAVE OF EXPLOSIONS.