Japan's Icom says it hasn't sold walkie-talkies that exploded in Lebanon in a decade

By Megumi Fujikawa

Japanese radio equipment maker Icom said it no longer produces or sells two-way radio devices which reportedly exploded in Lebanon.

The company Thursday said it had produced and sold the IC-V82 hand-held radio in the overseas markets, including the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014.

It has since stopped selling the product and ended production of the batteries needed to operate the main unit.

"A hologram seal to distinguish counterfeit products was not attached, so it is not possible to confirm whether the product shipped from our company," the company said.

Icom's (JP:6820) statement was in response to media reports that walkie-talkies bearing Icom's logo had exploded in Lebanon.

Walkie-talkies used by the Hezbollah blew up in homes, cars and in operatives' hands across the country on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. That came a day after thousands of pagers carried by Hezbollah members exploded at roughly the same time.

Write to Megumi Fujikawa at megumi.fujikawa@wsj.com

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09-19-24 0338ET

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