Nine people killed and almost 3,000 injured as Hezbollah vows retaliation after pagers explode in Lebanon

17 September 2024, 15:12 | Updated: 17 September 2024, 23:23

At least nine people are dead and thousands of others have been injured after pagers exploded in Lebanon.

Hezbollah has vowed retaliation after nine people were killed and thousands injured when pagers exploded in Lebanon.

Israel is being blamed for the attack using the devices which belonged to members of Hezbollah.

The Israeli military has yet to comment.

Lebanon’s health minister, Firass Abiad, said the explosions killed a 10-year-old girl and critically injured 200.

“About 2,750 people were injured … more than 200 of them critically,” he said on Tuesday afternoon.

A Hezbollah spokesperson said it was the "biggest security breach yet".

A Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the new brand of handheld pagers used by the group first heated up, then exploded.

Footage shared on social media showed pagers blowing up in people's pockets, and other images showed wounded victims of the blasts.

Iran's ambassador was also said to have been injured in the attack.

Hezbollah claimed that the pagers were blown up by Israel, with whom it has been trading blows for months.

The UN has branded the alleged attack "deplorable."

A statement read: "The Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, deplores today’s attack across Lebanon which left thousands injured, many critically, and is confirmed to have killed at least nine, including children.

"In accordance with international humanitarian law, she reminds all concerned actors that civilians are not a target and must be protected at all times. Even one civilian casualty is one too many.

"The developments today mark an extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context. While the full impact of the attack is still unfolding, Hennis-Plasschaert urges all concerned actors to refrain from any further action, or bellicose rhetoric, which could trigger a wider conflagration that nobody can afford."

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An official said that the new pagers that Hezbollah members were carrying had lithium batteries that had exploded.

The son of a member of Hezbollah's bloc in Lebanon's parliament was among those killed.

The sons of two other senior officials were wounded, a Hezbollah official said.

Prominent Hezbollah politician Ali Ammar spoke to the AP after his son, Mahdi, was killed.

"This is a new Israeli aggression against Lebanon," Mr Ammar said. "The resistance will retaliate in a suitable way at the suitable time."

Photos and videos from Beirut's southern suburbs circulating on social media and in local media showed people lying on the pavement with wounds on their hands or near their pants pockets.

In a statement, Palestinian militant group Hamas said: "We appreciate the struggle and sacrifices of our brothers in Hezbollah, and their insistence on continuing to support and back our Palestinian people in Gaza, and we affirm our full solidarity with the Lebanese people and our brothers in Hezbollah."

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group's members not to carry mobile phones, saying that they could be used by Israel to track their movements and to carry out targeted strikes.

The United States has denied any involvement in the incident.

"I can tell you that the US was not involved in it," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

"The US was not aware of this incident in advance. And at this point, we're gathering information."

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel.

Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of war between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas in Gaza.

The clashes have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.

Hezbollah is one of the most heavily armed non-state groups in the world and is part of the government in Lebanon, with dozens of MPs in parliament.

It is thought to be a terrorist organisation by many, including certain Western governments, and has played a significant role in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.