Lebanese Islamic militant group Hezbollah has accused Israel of detonating pagers in Lebanon, vowing "fair punishment" for the Jewish state.
On Tuesday, paging devices used by Hezbollah exploded across Dahiyeh, a southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon. At least eight have died from the explosions along with nearly 3,000 wounded, including Hezbollah militants and others in Iran's envoy to Beirut, 200 of which are critically injured. Other reports have indicated more deaths occurred, though the exact number is unclear.
A video of one of the explosions shows a man paying at a grocery store while what appears to be a pager sits next to the register before detonating. Other video and images of the incidents similarly show explosions occurring near the hip of victims.
Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary has deemed the detonations "Israeli aggression." Hezbollah has similarly placed responsibility for the explosions on Israel, vowing the Jewish state would receive "fair punishment," per Reuters.
In a statement, Hezbollah confirmed the deaths of two of their fighters along with a young girl who was also killed in an explosion. Over 1,200 Hezbollah operatives injured in alleged Israeli supply-chain attack converting pagers into improvised explosive devices
A series of pager explosions resulted in a mass-casualty event, killing and critically wounding several operatives across Lebanon and Syria.… pic.twitter.com/PKVRaa8swg
— Brother Mikey (@BrotherMikeyX) September 17, 2024
One Hezbollah official said the explosions have been the "biggest security breach" for the militant group since conflict in the Middle East began with Israel last October. “We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression,” Hezbollah said in their Tuesday statement. “This treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly get his just retribution on this sinful aggression from where it counts and from where it does not count."
Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas has also accused Israel of being behind the explosions, saying the incidents are an "escalation" that will lead to the Jewish state's "failure and defeat."
The Israeli military has reportedly declined to respond to questions regarding the explosions. However, Israeli spokesperson and Major General Herzi Halevi said "vigilance must continue to be maintained," though added no policy changes would be made at this time.
The United States has encouraged Iran, which is allied with Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis militant group along with other armed militant groups in Iraq, to avoid taking advantage of the explosions to increase instability in the region.
Hezbollah has opted to use pagers as a low-tech means of communication to deter tracking by foreign governments including Israel.
Among those injured included Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, who suffered a "superficial injury" in one of the explosions. Ali Ammar, the son of a Hezbollah member of the Lebanese parliament, was also killed, according to two security sources.
Senior Hezbollah official Hussein Khalil said the explosions were the "targeting of an entire nation."
