Thousands have been wounded and a number killed across Lebanon, including members of Hezbollah, after handheld pagers exploded simultaneously, according to government and Hezbollah officials.
Lebanon’s health minister Firas Abiad, said that at least eight people were killed and 2,750 wounded, 200 of them critically, during a press conference.
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) September 17, 2024
The Associated Press reports a Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, as saying that the new brand of handheld pagers used by the militant group heated up before exploding, killing at least two of its members and injuring others.
Another Hezbollah official told Reuters, also on condition of anonymity, that the detonation of the pagers was the “biggest security breach” the group has suffered after almost a year of conflict with Israel.
The Israeli military has reportedly declined to comment in response to queries about the explosions.
Iran’s Fars news agency reports that Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured when a pager exploded, while two security officials also told Reuters that one of those killed was the son of a Hezbollah member in the Lebanese parliament.
That’s some serious punch packed into a small pager#Lebanon 🇱🇧 pic.twitter.com/V2VT1iEwu4
— Aleph א (@no_itsmyturn) September 17, 2024
The precise means of detonation has yet to be established, as has the exact number of those injured and killed. Reports from the Lebanese capital of Beirut, including from Mr Abiad, indicate a high number of hospital admissions for injuries consistent with the detonations, including gashes and severed fingers.
This comes amid heightened tensions between neighbouring Israel and Lebanon, the Israeli military and Hezbollah exchanging fire near-daily following the October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel’s south. Hundreds of Hezbollah fighters have been killed in the ongoing exchanges and dozens in Israel, while tens of thousands have been displaced for almost 11 months on the Israeli side of the border.