Exploding Pagers Kill at Least Eight Hezbollah Fighters, Injure Thousands More in Lebanon

Israel is believed to be behind the explosions.

AP/Hussein Malla
Civil Defense first-responders carry a wounded man whose handheld pager exploded at al-Zahraa hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. AP/Hussein Malla

At least eight people tied to Hezbollah were killed and more than 2,800 injured, many of them critically, Tuesday after their pagers exploded across Lebanon in an operation being blamed on Israel, according to Lebanon’s health minister.

Reuters reported earlier on Tuesday, citing an unnamed security source, that the hundreds of wounded Hezbollah members included both fighters and medics. An anonymous Hezbollah official told the outlet that the pager explosions were the “biggest security breach” in its nearly year-long battle with Israel.

The injuries are rising too quickly to count, according to a Hezbollah source who spoke to the Wall Street Journal.

The explosions are believed to be an Israeli attack, the AP reported, citing a source with knowledge of the situation. The pager explosions were a result of “a security operation that targeted the devices,” according to a Hezbollah official, who said that “the enemy (Israel) stands behind this security incident.”

Lebanese officials are calling on hospitals to be on high alert and for people to stay away from their pagers, and photographers in the area are reporting overloaded emergency rooms full of patients with serious injuries, especially to their limbs. 

A Reuters journalist on the ground reported seeing ambulances rushing to hospitals and “widespread panic,” as explosions were still taking place even half an hour after the first blasts. 

Iran’s Mehr news agency is reporting that Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured from the pager explosions.

Israel’s Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 


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