Nine people, including a child, were killed, and thousands injured when pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded in Lebanon and parts of Syria on Tuesday, according to Lebanon’s health minister.
The blasts occurred amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, fuelling fears of a broader conflict. While no group has claimed responsibility, suspicion quickly turned toward Israeli intelligence.
A Lebanese government spokesperson blamed Israel for the attacks, calling them a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Reuters reported that 2,750 people were injured in the explosions.
Hezbollah also accused Israel of orchestrating the explosions and vowed to retaliate. The group said an investigation confirmed Israel’s responsibility for what they called “criminal aggression” that resulted in civilian casualties.
A pager is a wireless telecommunications device that receives and displays messages. Reuters quoted sources as saying that Hezbollah fighters have been using pagers as a low-tech means to try and avoid Israeli tracking of their locations..
Israel Keeps Mum
Earlier, an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a tweet suggesting Israeli involvement but later deleted it.
The explosions reportedly affected pagers widely used by Hezbollah members, including senior officials. Lebanese media outlets showed footage from hospitals treating dozens of wounded, many with injuries to their waist and groin areas.
The Lebanese health ministry reported that at least 200 people were seriously hurt, and some hospitals were put on high alert. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was also lightly wounded, according to Iran’s embassy in Beirut.
Hezbollah’s media channels reported that the blasts occurred in multiple regions across Lebanon, and the health ministry urged people using pagers to discard them for safety reasons. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had previously advised members of the group to avoid using cell phones for security concerns.
The explosions followed Israel’s Shin Bet security agency’s announcement earlier that it had foiled an assassination attempt by Hezbollah on a former Israeli military official. Shin Bet revealed a photo of a sophisticated bomb they claimed to have intercepted, which was allegedly part of the Hezbollah plot.
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