Hebollah militants’ pagers explode, one thousand injured

Dozens of Hezbollah members were injured, out of a total of about a thousand, after pagers, small wireless telecommunications devices, exploded in several locations across Lebanon. The Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour reported, citing circulating information that Israel detonated devices used by Hezbollah. An explosion was heard in the southern suburbs of Beirut, as well as in southern Lebanon, and in the Bekaa.

Al Jazeera reports that the wounded were bleeding and lying on the ground. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called on his fighters a few months ago, especially those on the front lines along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel, to stop using smartphones because Israel has the technology to infiltrate and penetrate these devices. So they resorted to this different communication system that uses pagers and they seem to have been penetrated. The explosions were almost simultaneous.

Videos circulating online show the moment pagers used by Hezbollah began exploding in Beirut, Israeli media reported. A video posted by Hareetz shows a man inside a supermarket falling to the ground after the explosion.

Top Hezbollah leaders among blast injuries

Saudi news channel Al-Hadath cites anonymous sources as saying that top Hezbollah leaders and their advisers were injured in the explosion of hundreds of pagers that occurred this afternoon across Lebanon.

Iranian Ambassador Injured in Beirut Explosions

Mojtaba Amani, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, was injured in a pager explosion in Beirut in what is suspected to be a massive Israeli cyber attack, the Iranian Mehr news agency reported.

Media, 1000 injured in Lebanon, explosions also in Syria

1,000 people were reportedly injured in the explosion of pagers in Lebanon, Lebanese media reported, adding that the explosions did not cause any casualties but five people are in serious condition. The Syrian news site ‘Voice of the Capital’, affiliated with the opposition, wrote that a device similar to the one used by Hezbollah men in Lebanon exploded inside a car. The Lebanese group accused Israel of being behind the attack, claiming that the devices were hacked, causing them to explode

Hezbollah to its troops: “Stop using pagers”

Hezbollah has informed all its members to immediately stop using pagers, telecommunications devices, after several of these devices exploded in different parts of Lebanon, injuring dozens of members of the group, according to Lebanese media, Al-Arabiya reported, citing sources.

Hezbollah: “Explosions caused by Israeli operation”

“The enemy (Israel) is behind this security incident,” a Hezbollah official said, without elaborating. The official said at least 150 people, including members of the group, were injured in different parts of Lebanon when pagers they were carrying exploded. The official added that the explosions were the result of “a security operation targeting the devices,” noting that Hezbollah members’ new pagers had lithium batteries that apparently exploded. Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, melt and even catch fire. Photos and videos from Beirut’s southern suburbs, circulating on social media and local media, showed people lying on the pavement with wounds on their hands or near their trouser pockets. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had previously warned members of the group not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track their movements and carry out targeted attacks.

Calls to Donate Blood After Hezbollah Pager Explosion

Lebanese hospitals have launched appeals to the public to donate blood after pager explosions in several locations across the country left dozens of Hezbollah members injured, Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour reported.

IDF warns of escalation risks after Lebanon explosions

The Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Home Front Command has warned local authorities that there is a risk of escalation following the explosion of Hezbollah pagers in Lebanon, adding that it has not changed its guidelines for civilians at this time, Israeli media reported.

Netanyahu consults security chiefs as tensions rise in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding high-level security consultations with security forces leaders amid rising tensions over the Lebanese group Hezbollah, officials told The Times of Israel, without providing details. Ynet also called the meetings “dramatic.”

Netanyahu-Gallant meeting after Lebanon explosions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and heads of the security establishment are meeting for consultations in Kyria, the operational heart of the Israeli military command in Tel Aviv, Ynet reports. The meeting follows a series of explosions in Lebanon involving pagers used by Hezbollah men.

Hezbollah, Israeli artillery attacked

Hezbollah claimed to have targeted Israeli artillery positions in the Zaura area with a rocket attack, hitting the target, Al Jazeera reports. The Lebanese militants also said they attacked a group of Israeli soldiers on Karantina Hill. The Lebanese Health Ministry earlier reported that three people were killed and two were wounded in an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese city of Blida.