Airport bans use of pagers, walkie-talkies after devices explode across Lebanon

Qatar Airways has told passengers they cannot use pagers or walkie-talkies on its flights from Beirut after dozens of people were killed and thousands injured in an explosive device detonated in Lebanon this week targeting the militant Hezbollah movement.

Due to the “Trojan horse” attacks, which Hezbollah blames on Israel, “all passengers departing from Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport are prohibited from bringing pagers and walkie-talkies on board their aircraft,” the airline said in a statement.

“The ban applies to both checked and hand luggage, as well as cargo, and will be enforced until further notice,” Qatar Airways said in a statement, citing a directive from the Lebanese civil aviation authority.

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The Lebanese government and Hezbollah have accused Israel of attacks on Hezbollah communications equipment that killed 37 people, wounded some 3,000, paralyzed Lebanese hospitals and wreaked bloody havoc among the militants.

“There is no doubt that we have been subjected to a serious security and military blow that is unprecedented in the history of the resistance and unprecedented in the history of Lebanon,” Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address on Thursday.

“These types of killings, persecutions and crimes could be unprecedented in the world,” he said.

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Qatar Airways is one of the largest regional carriers in the Middle East, offering flights to over 170 international destinations from its headquarters in Doha.

Collaborators: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Beirut airport bans pagers, walkie-talkies after Hezbollah blasts