Lebanon explosions: Japanese firm says devices used in recent blasts discontinued around 10 years ago

Japanese radio equipment maker Icom Inc. said on Thursday (Sept 19) that it had stopped producing the model of handheld radios reportedly used in recent blasts in Lebanon around 10 years ago.

In a statement, Icom said, "The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, it has not been shipped from our company."

"The production of the batteries needed to operate the main unit has also been discontinued, and a hologram seal to distinguish counterfeit products was not attached, so it is not possible to confirm whether the product shipped from our company," the statement added. 

On Wednesday, hand-held radios used by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah detonated across the country's south, after similar explosions of the militant group's pagers the day before. 

Images of the exploded walkie-talkies showed labels with ICOM and "made in Japan."

Icom earlier said that it was investigating the facts regarding news reports that two-way radio devices bearing its logo had exploded in Lebanon. 

The company had previously warned about counterfeit versions of its devices circulating in the market, especially discontinued models.

According to Lebanon's health ministry, 20 people were killed and more than 450 were injured on Wednesday in Beirut's suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, while the death toll from Tuesday's explosions rose to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured.

Citing sources, a report by the news agency Reuters said that Israel's spy agency Mossad was responsible for the explosions. However, Israeli officials have not commented on the blasts yet.

One Hezbollah official said the episode was the biggest security breach in the group's history.

The hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time as the pagers, Reuters reported.