Japanese company Icom said on Thursday that it has ceased production of the radio model that was reportedly used in recent explosions in Lebanon, a decision made around ten years ago.
“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,” Icom said in a statement.
“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,” it said.
“All of our radios are manufactured at our production subsidiary, Wakayama Icom Inc., in Wakayama Prefecture, under a strict management system… so no parts other than those specified by our company are used in a product. In addition, all of our radios are manufactured at the same factory, and we do not manufacture them overseas,” the statement said.
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Hezbollah vows to punish Israel after pager explosions across Lebanon
In a second wave of explosions within two days, officials reported that 20 people died and over 450 were injured on Wednesday in areas controlled by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A source affiliated with Hezbollah indicated that walkie-talkies used by its members detonated in Beirut, while state media mentioned similar incidents in southern and eastern Lebanon.
This followed the previous day’s simultaneous explosion of hundreds of paging devices used by Hezbollah, which resulted in 12 fatalities, including two children, and injured up to 2,800 people across Lebanon—an unprecedented attack attributed to Israel.
Israel has not commented on the situation, while the White House cautioned all parties against any escalation.
