Japanese company Icom announced on Thursday that it discontinued production of the radio model reportedly linked to the recent explosions in Lebanon approximately ten years ago.
“The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was manufactured and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 until October 2014. It has not been shipped since its discontinuation,” Icom stated.
The company also noted that production of the batteries for the device has ceased, and a hologram seal meant to prevent counterfeiting was not used, making it impossible to verify whether any units came from their facility.
“All of our radios are produced at our subsidiary, Wakayama Icom Inc., in Wakayama Prefecture, under a strict management system. We only use parts specified by our company, and all manufacturing occurs at the same factory; we do not produce radios overseas,” the statement added.
This announcement comes amid a second wave of explosions in Lebanon, where officials reported 20 fatalities and over 450 injuries on Wednesday in areas controlled by Hezbollah.
Sources linked to Hezbollah indicated that walkie-talkies used by its members detonated in Beirut, with similar incidents reported in southern and eastern Lebanon.
The previous day, a simultaneous explosion of hundreds of paging devices used by Hezbollah resulted in 12 deaths, including two children, and injured up to 2,800 people—a significant attack attributed to Israel.
Israel has not commented on the situation, while the White House urged all parties to avoid further escalation.
