Ceased manufacturing of bursting walkie-talkies possibly occurred in 2014
After a series of blasts in Lebanon that ignited the walkie-talkies of Hezbollah members, the manufacturer of these devices has voiced its stance. The Japanese corporation affirmatively declared that the manufacturing of such devices ceased a decade ago. The possibility of an unauthorized replica cannot be dismissed.
As per Icom, the company responsible for the production and export of the handheld radio devices, the IC-V82 model was in production and distribution from 2004 to October 2014, including to the Middle East region. The company stated that production stopped around a decade ago, and no further units have been shipped out since then.
The incident saw hundreds of such devices explode in Lebanon on Wednesday. A few of these explosions occurred during a funeral for Hezbollah members who had been killed by previous day's blast from exploding pagers, in a southern suburb of Beirut's capital. Hezbollah blames Israel for these explosions and has vowed retaliation. However, Israel has yet to issue a statement regarding the explosions.
According to media reports, the explosive walkie-talkies bore the Icom logo. Initially, on Thursday morning, Icom released a statement acknowledging these reports, stating: "There are reports circulating globally, suggesting that walkie-talkies bearing the Icom trademark have exploded in Lebanon." The corporation is conducting an investigation into this matter.
Subsequently, Icom issued a more detailed statement, affirming that the devices had not been manufactured for about a decade. "The production of the batteries essential for the device's operation has also been ceased," it added. Icom also noted that the devices lacked any hologram seals or other anti-counterfeiting measures, making it impossible to decipher if the products were legitimately distributed by the company or if they were potentially unauthorized, illegal replicas.
Icom, the company associated with the production and export of the handheld radio devices, firmly denied any involvement in the recent 'War with Israel' due to the explosions in Lebanon, stating that their manufacturing and distribution ceased a decade ago. Despite the devices bearing the Icom logo, there is a possibility of unauthorized replicas being involved in these incidents.
