“After examining all facts and information that we have available about the attack … we hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for the criminal attack,” Hezbollah said in a statement.
What we know: Hezbollah said in an earlier statement on Tuesday that that pagers in the possession of its members exploded at around 3:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET). The group said a “wide-ranging security and scientific investigation” is underway, according to its news outlet, Al-Manar.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that eight people were killed in the pager explosions, including a small girl, and that more than 2,800 were injured. Most of the injuries occurred to the hands, per the agency.
Reuters reported that at least three were killed and more than 1,000 injured, including Hezbollah fighters, when pagers they used for communication exploded. An anonymous Hezbollah official told the outlet that the incident constituted the “biggest security breach” since the group’s conflict with Israel following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
The affected pagers were from a new shipment that Hezbollah received in the past few days, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources.
Videos spread on Lebanese social media purportedly showing the blasts.
Seen dozens of photos/videos of people in Lebanon with injuries to their legs — where pagers would have been in pocket — or hands/arms.
Videos being shared on social media seem to show the pagers ring, then explode. pic.twitter.com/uq76o4MO08
— Timour Azhari (@timourazhari) September 17, 2024
The National News Agency reported that Prime Minister Najib Mikati ordered the health minister to “mobilize all the ministry’s departments to follow up on the treatment of the wounded in hospitals.”
Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured in the incident. The Iranian Embassy said he suffered a “light injury” and is in good condition, according to the National News Agency.
Lebanese media reported that the son of Hezbollah parliament member Ali Ammar was killed.
The Israeli military has not commented. Israel typically does not comment on its suspected military operations abroad.
Why it matters: The explosions occurred amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a plan for a limited ground offensive against the Iran-backed group, Al-Monitor’s Ben Caspit wrote on Tuesday.
Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on Oct. 8, a day after Hamas’ attack, and tit-for-tat exchanges have continued in the border areas nearly nonstop since then. The situation escalated further when Israel killed senior Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr in July.
