Hundreds of Hezbollah operatives hurt after pagers exploded across Lebanon
Eight people were killed and almost 2,750 wounded - 200 of them critically - in a spree of simultaneous detonations of pagers across Lebanon, Health Minister Firass Abiad said on Tuesday.
Lebanese broadcaster NBN reported that Israel, using advanced technology, remotely detonated Hezbollah’s communication devices (pagers) in multiple locations in Dahieh.
A Hezbollah official admitted to Qatari newspaper The New Arab that "Israel breached the organization's communication devices and detonated them." He described the breach as "serious and under investigation," adding that there were casualties but no fatalities.
Iran's Mehr news agency reported that Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani was also injured by a pager explosion.
Saudi news outlet Al Hadath reported that hospitals in Lebanon are calling for blood donations. Sources said Hezbollah affiliates requested that images of the injured not be published to avoid putting them at further risk.
A Reuters journalist reported seeing 10 Hezbollah members bleeding from injuries in Beirut's Dahieh suburb.
According to Sky News Arabia, the simultaneous explosions involved devices used by Hezbollah for encrypted internal communication. The outlet also reported that Israel had managed to hack into Hezbollah's communication network and detonate the devices.
Saudi outlet Al Arabiya reported, citing a Lebanese source, that Hezbollah operatives were instructed to discard their communication devices following the explosions.
Videos circulating on social media captured scenes of chaos, with panicked crowds filling the streets and hospitals overwhelmed by casualties. Footage showed injured victims lying in hospital corridors, many suffering from severe wounds.
Shortly after the incident, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health urged citizens possessing such devices to "immediately dispose of them." The ministry also called on all staff to "report urgently to their workplaces."
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati instructed the health minister to "mobilize all resources to treat the injured."
Opposition-affiliated Syrian news Voice of the Capital reported that a communication device of a similar model to those used by Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon exploded inside a car in Damascus.
Speaking to Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar, Communication consultant Amer Tabesh explained that the devices, dating from the 1990s, are part of Hezbollah’s network for transmitting a limited number of encrypted "codes" and messages.
He noted that while different countries and organizations use the device, it is distinct from a standard walkie-talkie because it transmits coded written messages rather than voice communications. Tabesh speculated that the explosions were caused by the device's battery, which may have detonated due to overuse beyond its capacity.
Meanwhile, the IDF launched a wave of strikes on Hezbollah facilities in the towns of Ayta ash-Shaab and Khiam in southern Lebanon.