BREAKING NEWS

Turkey reviews security of communication devices after Lebanon blasts, official says

Turkey is reviewing its measures to secure the communication devices used by its armed forces after the deadly blasts in Lebanon, a Turkish defense ministry official said on Thursday.

Hand-held radios used by  Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon's south in the country's deadliest day since cross-border fighting erupted between the group and Israel nearly a year ago, stoking tensions after similar explosions of the militants' pagers the day before.

The blasts appeared to throw Hezbollah, Iran's most powerful proxy in the Middle East, into disarray and occurred alongside the Israel-Hamas war and heightened fears of an escalation and regional war.

The Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Turkey's military exclusively used domestically-produced equipment, but Ankara had additional control mechanisms in place if a third party is involved in procurement or production of devices.