Hezbollah has vowed to take action against Israel following allegations that Israel was behind the explosions of pagers across Lebanon on Tuesday. The attacks resulted in nine deaths and nearly 3,000 injuries, including those of Hezbollah fighters and Iran’s envoy to Beirut.
Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary condemned the explosions, which targeted handheld devices used by Hezbollah, as an “Israeli aggression.” Hezbollah has promised that Israel will face “just punishment” for the incident.
Read more: Pager Explosions Injure Thousands of People in Lebanon
The Israeli military, engaged in conflict with Hezbollah since the Gaza war began in October, chose not to comment on the detonations. The death toll increased from eight to nine by Tuesday night, with the number of injured remaining at 2,750, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Hezbollah confirmed that among the dead were at least two of its fighters and a young girl. The explosions occurred in southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahiyeh, and the eastern Bekaa Valley—regions known as Hezbollah strongholds.
Surveillance footage showed a pager exploding at a grocery store checkout. Hezbollah officials described the incident as the “biggest security breach” for the group in nearly a year of conflict with Israel.
Reports indicate that explosive material was concealed in Taiwan-made Gold Apollo pagers before their import to Lebanon, with a remote detonator hidden near the battery.
Hamas, engaged in a separate conflict with Israel in Gaza, labeled the pager blasts as an “escalation” leading only to Israel’s “failure and defeat.” UN special coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert expressed concern over the attack, calling it a significant escalation in the conflict.
The U.S. has denied involvement in the explosions and called for a diplomatic resolution to the tensions between Israel and Lebanon, urging Iran not to exploit the situation for increased instability.
An Israeli military spokesman noted that Major General Herzi Halevi and senior officers reviewed the situation, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance. Hezbollah fighters have used pagers as a low-tech communication method to avoid Israeli tracking, according to sources familiar with the group’s operations.
Many Injured:
Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, sustained a “superficial injury” in the pager explosions on Tuesday and is currently being monitored in a hospital, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency. This report has not yet been independently verified by Reuters.
Among the casualties were Hezbollah fighters, including the sons of prominent members of the group. One of the deceased was the son of Ali Ammar, a Hezbollah member of the Lebanese parliament, as reported by two security sources.
Senior Hezbollah official Hussein Khalil condemned the attacks, stating that they represented an assault on the entire nation, not just a few individuals.
In response to the security situation, Air France announced it would suspend flights between Paris, Beirut, and Tel Aviv until Thursday.
Earlier, Israel’s domestic security agency claimed it had thwarted a Hezbollah plot to assassinate a former senior defense official in the near future.
While Hezbollah aims to avoid a full-scale conflict with Israel, they have indicated that only a resolution to the Gaza war will halt the cross-border clashes. Efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza have stalled despite months of mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.
Although there is concern about potential escalation, experts remain skeptical about the likelihood of an immediate large-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, a scenario that the U.S. is working to prevent and that both sides appear reluctant to engage in.
Screaming in Pain:
Following the explosions on Tuesday, ambulances sped through the southern suburbs of Beirut amidst widespread panic. At Mount Lebanon Hospital, outside Beirut, Reuters reporters observed motorcycles rushing to the emergency room, with people arriving with bloodied hands and in severe distress.
Hassan Wazni, head of the Nabatieh public hospital in southern Lebanon, reported that around 40 people were being treated for injuries, including wounds to the face, eyes, and limbs.
The situation has been tense since Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel in response to the Hamas attacks on October 7 that initiated the Gaza war. Hezbollah and Israel have continued to exchange fire, but have so far avoided a full-scale escalation.
Over the past year, Hezbollah has lost over 400 fighters due to Israeli strikes, including its top commander Fuad Shukr in July. The ongoing conflict has displaced tens of thousands of people from communities on both sides of the border.
On Tuesday, Israel updated its war goals to include the return of citizens to their homes near the Lebanese border.
