Qatar Airways Bans Pagers, Walkie-Talkies On Flights From Lebanon Days After Device Explosions Killed 32
A file photo of the Qatar Airways (AP)
Qatar Airways has banned pagers and walkie-talkies on flights from Lebanon following deadly pager blasts that killed over 30 people in the country.
Days after pager blasts killed more than 30 people in parts of Lebanon, Qatar Airways has banned carrying pagers and walkie-talkies onboard all its flights from the country.
The airlines also said the ban was implemented with immediate effect.
The directive to ban pagers and walkie-talkies onboard came from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of the Republic of Lebanon.
“Effective immediately: Following the directive received from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of the Republic of Lebanon, all passengers flying from Beirut Rafic Harirl International Airport (BEY) are prohibited from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on board flights,” Qatar Airways mentioned in an X post.
“The ban applies to both checked and carry-on luggage, as well as cargo, and will be enforced until further notice,” it added.
Effective immediately: Following the directive received from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of the Republic of Lebanon, all passengers flying from Beirut Rafic Harirl International Airport (BEY) are prohibited from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on board flights.…— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) September 19, 2024
WHAT HEZBOLLAH SAID ON EXPLOSIONS
On Thursday, Hezbollah’s leader acknowledged that his group had suffered an “unprecedented” blow when thousands of operatives’ communication devices exploded across Lebanon in deadly attacks it blamed on Israel.
In his first speech since the attacks across two days, Hassan Nasrallah struck a defiant tone, vowing that Israel would face retribution.
Even as he delivered his televised address, Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over Beirut.
F-15s with the Israeli Air Force seen flying at Low Altitude and deploying Flares over the Lebanese Capital of Beirut, during today’s Speech by Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. pic.twitter.com/Ev0KhavfTz— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) September 19, 2024
(News18 could not independently verify the authenticity of the video).
Describing the attacks as a “massacre” and a possible “act of war”, Nasrallah said Israel would face “tough retribution and just punishment, where it expects it and where it does not”.
ISRAEL’s RESPONSE TO BLASTS
Israel has not commented on the attacks in which Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies exploded in supermarkets, on streets and at funerals, plunging the country into panic.
However, the country’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, said on Wednesday, in reference to Israel’s border with Lebanon, “The centre of gravity is moving northward.
“We are at the start of a new phase in the war,” he warned.
Iran-backed Hezbollah is an ally of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been fighting a war in Gaza since its October 7 attack on Israel.
