Dubai’s Emirates airline bans pagers, walkie-talkies after device attacks in Lebanon

By Amarachi Orie, CNN

(CNN) — Dubai’s Emirates airline has banned pagers and walkie-talkies from its planes, following last month’s attacks on such devices carried by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

“All Passengers travelling on flights to, from or via Dubai are prohibited from transporting pagers and walkie talkies in checked or cabin baggage,” the airline wrote in a statement posted on its website Friday.

“Such items found in passengers’ hand luggage or checked baggage will be confiscated by Dubai Police,” it added.

It comes weeks after pagers exploded simultaneously across Lebanon, followed by walkie-talkies detonating in a similar fashion. Lebanese officials blamed Israel for the attacks.

At least 37 people, including children, were killed in the twin device attacks, and nearly 3,000 others were injured, according to Lebanese officials.

A Lebanese security source told CNN at the time that the explosive material was “laced” inside the pager’s lithium battery and was hidden in such a sophisticated way that it was virtually undetectable.

As conflict continues to intensify in the Middle East, flights continue to face disruption.

In its latest update Friday, Emirates, the region’s largest airline, said flights from and to Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, remain canceled up until and including October 15. Passengers transiting through Dubai to get to Beirut will also “not be accepted for travel at their point of origin until further notice,” it said.

Emirates added that it will resume services to Jordan’s capital, Amman, on Sunday, while its flights to and from Iraq and Iran will remain canceled up to and including Monday.

Several other airlines have also canceled flights to Beirut and other regional airports.

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