Thousands of members of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah as well as civilians have been killed or wounded after wireless communication devices, known as pagers, exploded in different locations across the country on Tuesday.
In its latest update, the Lebanese health ministry said at least nine people have been killed and 2,800 others wounded in the explosions that were first reported in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Among those killed is a 9-year-girl and son of a
Officials said the blasts appeared to be a remote cyber attack by the Israeli regime at a time of rising tensions across the Lebanese border.
Footage shared on social media showed the wounded were attended by passers-by. Groups of people also gathered at the entrance of buildings to check on people they knew who may have been injured.
Earlier in a statement, Hezbollah said at least three people, including a girl, had been killed in the pager explosions and many others sustained injuries in the blasts.
Hezbollah said that relevant authorities are currently conducting security and scientific investigations to determine the causes of these simultaneous explosions.
The group emphasized that its resistance forces remain at the highest level of readiness to defend Lebanon and its people.
People said blasts were taking place half an hour after the initial explosions and ambulances could be heard non-stop.
Over 50 ambulances from the Red Cross were sent to the scene to help transport casualties to hospitals.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health has asked for all medical workers to remain on alert and respond to the incident if needed.
Lebanon’s Minister of Health, Firas Abiad, said the number of injured was in the “hundreds” and there were some fatalities from the explosions.
Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also one of the injured in the explosions.
The Iranian Embassy in Beirut later announced that Ambassador Amani sustained minor injuries, but he was in good condition.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has been exchanging fire with Hezbollah since early October, shortly after the occupying regime launched its war on Gaza after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
The Israeli regime, which has been defeated in the military battle with Hezbollah, in order to cover up its failures, engages in harmful actions against the civilians, just as it continues to kill the people of Gaza after it was defeated by Hamas.
