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By Lilith Foster-Collins
News Reporter
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Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people—including an 8-year-old girl -- and wounding several thousand, officials said.
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack. The Israeli military declined to comment.
Iran's ambassador in Lebanon was among those wounded in the simultaneous explosions, Iranian news reports said.
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An anonymous Hezbollah official told Reuters that the detonation of the pagers was the "biggest security breach" the group had ever been subjected to.
Hezbollah is a political party and militant group with significant influence in Lebanon, often positioning itself as a leading force against Israel.
The state-run National News Agency reported that "the handheld pagers system was detonated using advanced technology, and dozens of injuries were reported."
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States "was not aware of this incident in advance" and was not involved. "At this point, we're gathering information," he said.
Experts said the pager explosions pointed to a long-planned operation, possibly carried out by infiltrating the supply chain and rigging the devices with explosives before they were delivered to Lebanon.
Lebanon's health minister, Firas Abiad, said to Qatar's Al Jazeera network at least nine people were killed, including an 8-year-old girl, and some 2,750 were wounded — 200 of them critically — by the explosions. Most had injuries in the face, hand, or around the abdomen.
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The attack on Tuesday caused injuries to fighters and medics.
Ambulances were driving through the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, amid widespread panic, a Reuters journalist reported.
Witnesses said explosions continued 30 minutes after the initial blasts.
Military analyst Elijah Magnier told Al Jazeera that Hezbollah relies heavily on pagers to prevent Israel intercepting their communications.
He speculated the pagers would have been tampered with before being distributed.
"These explosions … are powerful enough to hit the psychology of Hezbollah," he said.
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Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency, close to the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard, said on its Telegram channel that Mojtaba Amani, Iran's ambassador in Lebanon, has a superficial injury and is under observation at a hospital. Meanwhile, another semiofficial Mehr news agency, also on its Telegram channel reported that Amani was wounded by a pager explosion.
A Hezbollah official said the explosions were the result of "a security operation that targeted the devices."
"The enemy (Israel) stands behind this security incident," the official said.
He said that the new pagers that Hezbollah members were carrying had lithium batteries that apparently exploded.
Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, melt and even catch on fire.
Photos and videos on social media and in local media showed people lying on the pavement with wounds on their hands or near their pants pockets in Beirut's southern suburbs.
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Hezbollah fighters were using pagers after leader Hassan Nasrallah cautioned members against carrying cellphones, warning that Israel could use them to track movements and conduct targeted strikes.
The attacks come days after Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar thanked Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah for his support in the war with Israel, as detailed in a letter released by Hezbollah's media office on Friday.
In the letter, dated Sept. 13, Sinwar thanks Nasrallah for the "blessed acts" of Iranian-backed groups that have provided assistance to Hamas since Oct. 7, when militants launched a deadly attack against Israel.
Hezbollah's attacks from Lebanon are seen by many as a coordinated effort with Hamas, aiming to pressure Israel on multiple fronts.
For years, Hezbollah and Iran have provided financial and military support to Hamas.
Hezbollah escalated tensions with Israel by launching attacks on Israeli military positions along the Lebanon-Israel border starting on Oct. 8.
This provoked a series of cross-border strikes that have continued to this day.
Each clash has resulted in significant loss of life on both sides, with reports of over 500 people killed in Lebanon, many of them Hezbollah fighters, but also more than 100 civilians.
In northern Israel, Hezbollah's strikes have killed 23 soldiers and 26 civilians.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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