Qatar Airways bans passengers from carrying pagers, walkie-talkies on Lebanon flights

Qatar Airways bans passengers of Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) from carrying pagers, walkie-talkies on Lebanon flights days after the explosion.

Doha: Qatar Airways has prohibited all passengers of Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on board flights. The action follows the explosion of walkie-talkies and pagers in Lebanon, killing 32 and injuring over 450 people on September 17. This restriction is applicable to checked and carry-on luggage as well as cargo will remain enforced until the further notice. 

Taking on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Qatar Airways stated, “Effective immediately: Following the directive received from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of the Republic of Lebanon, all passengers flying from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) are prohibited from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on board flights. The ban applies to both checked and carry-on luggage, as well as cargo, and will be enforced until further notice.”

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

According to Al Jazeera reports, around 20 people lost their lives and over 450 were injured in the Lebanon blast. The latest attack came just after 12 people were killed and more than 2800 others were wounded in a coordinated explosion of pagers in Lebanon. 

Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Thursday announced to intensify military operations against Hezbollah it said to launch targeted strikes in order to destroy terrorist capabilities and infrastructure in Lebanon, aiming to bring back security to northern Israel and to enable the return of residents.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the IDF stated, “The IDF is currently striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist capabilities and infrastructure. For decades, Hezbollah has weaponized civilian homes, dug tunnels beneath them and used civilians as human shields–having turned southern Lebanon into a war zone. The IDF is operating to bring security to northern Israel in order to enable the return of residents to their homes and achieve war goals.”

⭕️The IDF is currently striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist capabilities and infrastructure.

For decades, Hezbollah has weaponized civilian homes, dug tunnels beneath them and used civilians as human shields—having turned southern Lebanon into…

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 19, 2024

Amid these state of events, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared the “start of new phase in the war”. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter),”We are at the start of a new phase in the war – we are allocating resources and forces to the northern arena and our mission is clear: ensuring the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes. To do so, the security situation must be changed.”

 According to the CNN report, Dozens of ambulance crews from the Lebanese Red Cross worked to rescue and evacuate those who were wounded after a walkie-talkie explosion in Lebanon on Wednesday. 

(With ANI Inputs)