Pager explosions injure thousands in Lebanon, officials say, as Hezbollah blames Israel

(CNN) — Thousands of people were injured Tuesday and several killed when their pagers exploded almost simultaneously across Lebanon, officials said, with Hezbollah confirming some of its members were wounded and blaming the attack on Israel.

A child was among at least nine killed in the blasts, which injured around 2,800 people, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said. At least 170 people are in a critical condition, he said, though the nature of the other injuries is unclear.

The extraordinary incident comes amid increased hostility between Hezbollah and Israel, and raises tensions in the region further. “We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal attack,” Hezbollah said in a statement released Tuesday evening, vowing retribution.

“This criminal and treacherous enemy will definitely receive a fair punishment for this sinful assault, both in ways that are expected and unexpected,” Hezbollah added.

The militant group had earlier confirmed on its Telegram channel that “workers” in various Hezbollah institutions were affected by the explosions, with a “large number” of people injured.

The Lebanese government also blamed Israel for the explosions, condemning the attack as “criminal Israeli aggression.”

Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the attack “constitutes a serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a crime by all standards,” according to the state-run NNA news outlet.

Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among those wounded in Beirut, according to Iranian state media. He has a superficial injury and is currently under observation in the hospital, state media IRNA reported, citing his wife.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health urged citizens who possess pagers to discard them and warned hospitals to be on “high alert.”

The explosions affected several areas in Lebanon, particularly the southern suburbs of Beirut, according to Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces.

State media NNA reported that “hacked” pager devices exploded in the towns of Ali Al-Nahri and Riyaq in Lebanon’s central Beqaa valley, resulting in a significant number of injuries. The locations are Hezbollah strongholds.

In addition to Amani, two employees of the Iranian embassy were also injured, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

The Israeli military, which has engaged in tit-for-tat strikes with Hezbollah since the start of the war in Gaza last October, said it would not be commenting on the incident.

Hezbollah said its security apparatus had launched an investigation into the incident, and stopped short of blaming any party for it.

“We confirm that the resistance at all levels and various units is at the highest level of readiness to defend Lebanon and its steadfast people,” it said.

Health workers across Lebanon were asked to report urgently to work given the “large number of injured people being transferred to hospitals” following the pager explosions, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said. Officials also called for people to donate blood in anticipation of increased need.

Videos circulating on social media and news agencies appear to show powerful explosions in various locations. In one CCTV video, a man can be seen picking out fruit in a supermarket when an explosion tears his bag to shreds. Bystanders can be seen running away as they hear the explosion, while the man drops to the ground clutching his lower abdomen. After several seconds, he can be heard groaning in pain.

Social media videos meanwhile showed large numbers of injured people, including at least one child. Those wounded were covered in blood, some with facial and hand injuries as well as flesh wounds.

The pager explosions come after Israel’s security cabinet voted Monday to add another war objective to its ongoing conflict with Hamas and Hezbollah: ensuring the safe return of residents from communities along its border with Lebanon to their homes.

“Israel will continue to act to implement this objective,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Monday.

After nearly a year of cross-border exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel, tens of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CNN’s Sarah El Sirgany, Pauline Lockwood and Hamdi Alkhshali contributed reporting.