On Thursday, Japanese company Icom clarified that it had ceased production of the radio model reportedly involved in the recent explosions in Lebanon, a decision made nearly a decade ago.
“The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 until October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, no units have been shipped from our company,” Icom said in a statement. The company added, “The production of the batteries required for the radio has also stopped, and a hologram seal, used to identify genuine products, was not present. Therefore, it is not possible to verify whether the product involved was originally shipped by us.”
Icom emphasized that all their radios are manufactured under strict quality control at Wakayama Icom Inc., their production facility in Wakayama Prefecture, ensuring that no unauthorized parts are used. Additionally, the company stated that they do not manufacture radios outside Japan.
Related Incidents in Lebanon
In the second wave of explosions within 48 hours, Lebanese officials reported that 20 people were killed and over 450 injured on Wednesday in Hezbollah-controlled areas. A source linked to Hezbollah mentioned that walkie-talkies used by its members detonated in Beirut, with similar reports emerging from southern and eastern Lebanon.
This followed Tuesday’s coordinated blasts of hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah, resulting in 12 deaths, including two children, and injuring nearly 3,000 people—a large-scale attack widely attributed to Israel.
While Israel has remained silent on the matter, the White House has urged all parties to avoid escalating the situation further.
