Civil Defense first-responders carry a wounded man whose handheld pager exploded at al-Zahraa hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sep. 17, 2024.
Hussein Malla/AP
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Hussein Malla/AP
Scores of fighters from the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah were seriously injured on Tuesday, when the pagers they used for communications unexpectedly exploded.
In what appears to be a widespread attack on part of the militant group’s communications system, the explosions took place in Beirut’s southern suburbs where Hezbollah has offices and in the south of the country.
The group has been trading cross-border attacks with Israel since the start of the war in Gaza last year.
On Tuesday, Lebanon’s public health ministry directed hospitals in the country to prepare for mass casualties and warned anyone with a pager to immediately throw it away.
The authorities also called for all health workers to report for duty, for people to donate blood and for all citizens with similar devices to not use them until “the situation is fully understood.”
One video posted on social media showed a man falling to the ground injured in a vegetable market after a loud bang.
It is unclear what has led to this series of explosions. Citing security sources, Reuters news agency reported that pagers that detonated were the latest model brought in by Hezbollah in recent months.
No one has yet claimed responsibility.
This is a developing story. We’ll give updates on the situation as we learn more.