At least 20 people were killed and over 450 injured in Lebanon on Wednesday following a series of explosions triggered by detonating walkie-talkies, according to health officials.

This comes just one day after a separate attack involving pager blasts killed at least 12 people across the country.

Report by CNN said Tuesday’s attack, which targeted the militant group Hezbollah, was a coordinated operation carried out by Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, and the Israeli military.

On Wednesday, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hinted at the nation’s involvement, stating that a “new era” in Israel’s war effort had begun, with the focus shifting towards its northern border with Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reaffirmed his commitment to returning residents to their homes near the northern border, which were evacuated due to ongoing hostilities.

Israeli officials had reportedly informed the U.S. of an impending operation in Lebanon but did not provide specific details ahead of Tuesday’s attack, sources said.

In response, Hezbollah vowed to retaliate, and the Lebanese government condemned the operation as “criminal Israeli aggression.”

Tuesday’s blasts killed at least 12 people, including two children, and injured more than 2,800, according to Lebanon’s Health Minister.

On Wednesday, the walkie-talkie explosions in Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon left 20 dead and hundreds wounded.

Preliminary reports indicated that between 15 to 20 explosions occurred in each location.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the U.S. was not aware of the attack beforehand and was not involved, urging all parties to take steps toward de-escalation.

Medical facilities in Lebanon have been overwhelmed, performing 460 surgeries, primarily treating injuries to the eyes, faces, and hands, with some victims being transported to Syria and Iran for treatment.

SpaceX and Tesla founder/CEO, Elon Musk has assured that the Bindsight device from Neuralink will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see.

He gave the assurances on his X handle, saying the breakthrough was possible provided the visual cortex is intact, adding that it will even enable those who have been blind from birth to see for the first time.

“To set expectations correctly, the vision will be at first be low resolution, like Atari graphics, but eventually it has the potential to be better than natural vision and enable you to see in infrared, ultraviolet or even radar wavelengths, like Geordi La Forge.

“We have received Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA for Blindsight.

“Join us in our quest to bring back sight to those who have lost it. Apply to our Patient Registry and openings on our career page https://neuralink.com,” the inventor stated.

The Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund(NSITF), Oluwaseun Faleye has re-emphasized quality service delivery as a strategic objective of the new leadership of the NSITF.

Faleye disclosed this when the National Coordinator of the Service Compact With All Nigerians ( SERVICOM) Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli led an advocacy delegation to the headquarters of the NSITF in Abuja today.

During the meeting, Faleye stated that his leadership has already initiated reforms aimed at enhancing service delivery while increasing transparency in the operations of the Fund. He assured the SERVICOM delegation that the NSITF would go “Above and Beyond” to ensure that the beneficiaries of the Employees Compensation Scheme experience the best possible service.

He said, “quality service delivery is at the core of what we intend to achieve in NSITF. We are fully committed to ensuring that all our operations are streamlined and aligned with the highest standards of efficiency, which is essential in service delivery, and we see SERVICOM as a key partner in this regard.

” There is no doubt that our collaborative efforts will yield an impactful service delivery in terms of reform of our processes and systems in a manner that gingers greater efficiency and service satisfaction.”

A statement by Nwachukwu Godson, General Manager Corporate Affairs of NSITF which was sent to Nationwide Reports, quoted the NSIFT boss to have emphasized the need for the nodal officer, desk and focal officers of the Fund to have a robust knowledge of the fund’s processes and procedures while collaborating with key departments to make the engagement with SERVICOM National produce the required results.

While promising the adoption of the Fund’s updated Service Charter, he said the document will be subject to continuous review to ensure it is dynamic, vigorous and interactive as a base point for the evaluation of the Fund’s services.

In her remarks, Mrs. Akajemeli highlighted the significance of quality service delivery in public institutions, especially in agencies like NSITF responsible for the welfare of Nigerian workers and called for partnership to ensure that the services provided by Fund meet the expectations of its stakeholders, including beneficiaries.

She further urged the NSITF to work closely with SERVICOM in reviewing and optimizing its processes to align with global best practices. She added that the visit aimed to solicit collaboration between SERVICOM and NSITF to improve service delivery and enhance customer satisfaction across the Fund’s operations.

She also expressed satisfaction with the improved service delivery in the Fund and expressed optimism that new management will do more. Thanking the Managing Director for his responsiveness and support to the Fund’s SERVICOM activities, Akajemeli added that there was no alternative to “extra mile” in customer satisfaction and aligned it to “Above and Beyond” theme of the 2024 Customer Service Week.

On hand too to welcome the SERVICOM National delegation was the Fund’s Executive Director of Finance, Adegoke Adedeji who in his vote of thanks re-echoed the commitment of the NSITF to improved service delivery, and extolled Akajemeli for her tireless efforts in repositioning the Service Compact with Nigeria. The heads of the departments of the fund were also in attendance.