At least nine people, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians, were killed and 2,800 others wounded on Tuesday when pagers used for communication exploded across Lebanon.
Among the injured were Hezbollah fighters, medics, and Iran’s envoy to Beirut, according to Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad.
Lebanon’s Information Minister Ziad Makary condemned the explosions as an “Israeli aggression.” Hezbollah echoed the accusation, vowing retaliation. A senior Hezbollah official, speaking anonymously, described the incident as the “biggest security breach” the group had faced in nearly a year of conflict with Israel.
Hezbollah confirmed the deaths of two of its fighters and a young girl. An investigation into the cause of the explosions is underway. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was not injured, according to the group.
The blasts began around 3:45 p.m. local time, with a series of explosions continuing for about an hour. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry labeled the incident a “dangerous and deliberate Israeli escalation,” following earlier threats from Israel to expand its military operations into Lebanon.
Lebanese security forces reported that a number of wireless communication devices were detonated, particularly in Hezbollah-dominated areas of Beirut's southern suburbs. The affected pagers were reportedly a new model introduced by Hezbollah in recent months.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes, with wounded individuals rushed to hospitals across Beirut and southern Lebanon. Ambulances shuttled between the cities of Tyre and Sidon, carrying the injured, many of whom were critically wounded.
Among the injured was Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, who sustained a minor injury. One of the fighters killed was the son of Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar.
In neighboring Syria, 14 people were reported injured following similar pager explosions linked to Hezbollah, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The incident occurred amid an escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, with Israel recently broadening its military objectives to include Hezbollah, following the outbreak of the Gaza war last October.
Israel has not commented on the explosions. However, earlier on Tuesday, Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, announced it had foiled a Hezbollah plot to assassinate a former senior Israeli defense official.