At least nine people were killed Tuesday when pagers that were used by hundreds of members of the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon and Syria exploded in what appeared to be a simultaneously planned attack, The Associated Press reported.
CNN estimated that 2,800 were wounded in the attack that occurred at about 3:30 p.m. local time. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was among the wounded, according to The Associated Press.
The AP reported that the pagers were recently acquired by Hezbollah after its leader told its members to stop using cellphones for fear they could be tracked by the Israelis. Hezbollah is the Lebanese Shiite Muslim political party that also has a militant faction.
Lebanon’s Information Minister Ziad Makary blamed Israel for the pagers exploding, calling it an “Israeli aggression,” according to The Times of Israel.
CNN posted videos of the attacks. One video showed a man standing at a market near a fruit and vegetable stand when his pager exploded. The man fell to the ground on his back with his legs pulled up. There was another man standing next to the victim when the pager exploded who appeared stunned at first and then ran away.
Another video showed a man appearing to stand in a line at a cash register when his pager exploded. He fell down on his back. The woman cashier who was sitting in a chair behind a desk and across from the man got up and scurried away.
The social media platform X had graphic videos of several injured men with gaping wounds covered in blood at hospitals.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said during a press briefing that the U.S. was not involved and had not been given a warning of the attack beforehand and was now “collecting information.”
A former British Army explosives expert told the BBC that the explosives were likely military grade and were between 10 to 20 grams and hidden inside a fake component inside the pager. The pagers could be armed by a signal, and then the next person to use the device would trigger the explosion, the BBC reported.
Former CIA analyst Emily Harding told the BBC the attack was “extraordinary.”
“A breach of this magnitude is not only physically harmful but will also make them question their entire security apparatus,” Harding said of Hezbollah.
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