Lebanon bans pagers, walkie-talkies from flights

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese authorities on Thursday banned walkie-talkies and pagers from being taken on flights from Beirut airport, the National News Agency reported, after thousands of such devices exploded during a deadly attack on Hezbollah this week.

The Lebanese civilian aviation directorate asked airlines operating from Beirut to tell passengers that walkie-talkies and pagers were banned until further notice. Such devices were also banned from being shipped by air, the Lebanese state news agency reported.

At least 37 people were killed and more than 3,000 wounded when pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded in two waves of attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Lebanon and Hezbollah, a heavily armed group backed by Iran, say Israel carried out the attack.

Israel has not claimed responsibility.

The Lebanese army said on Thursday it was blowing up pagers and suspicious telecom devices in controlled blasts in different areas. It called on citizens to report any suspicious devices.

Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border for almost a year, in a conflict triggered by the Gaza war.