Lebanese health officials warned the public to avoid using handheld communication devices on Tuesday after powerful Iran-backed militant and political group Hezbollah said pagers had exploded throughout the country.
Al-Manar, a Lebanese television station run by Hezbollah, said the devices “exploded in the hands of their holders in a number of Lebanese regions.”
“Large numbers of people with various injuries are arriving at Lebanese hospitals,” the Public Health Emergency Operations Center of Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said, according to the state-run Lebanese National News Agency.
“The ministry requests all citizens who own wireless communication devices to stay away from them until the truth of what is happening is revealed,” the National News Agency quoted the health ministry as saying.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati office said ministers were informed of “security incidents” occurring in a number of regions across the country.
The incidents unfolded a day after Israel announced a new war objective, fueling fears of a new military offensive in Lebanon. It also warned the U.S. that “military action” would likely be the only way to address mounting hostilities with Hezbollah.
It was unclear whether the incidents were part of a coordinated attack, which would represent a significant security breach for Hezbollah.
As of Tuesday late afternoon local time, no one had taken responsibility for the series of explosions, some of which appeared to have been captured on CCTV video and shared on social media.
Israeli officials did not immediately respond to request for comment on the incidents.
News agency Reuters reported that dozens of Hezbollah members were seriously wounded in Lebanon’s south and in the southern suburbs of the country’s capital Beirut.
A Reuters journalist saw 10 Hezbollah members bleeding from wounds in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, the agency said. It was unclear if civilians were also among those impacted by the incident.
Late Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that his security cabinet had updated its list of war objectives to include the safe return of residents who have been displaced from their homes near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon due to months of fighting with Hezbollah.
“Israel will continue to act to implement this objective,” the prime minister’s office said.
Thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the border in the months since Israel’s offensive in Gaza began following the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks, with Hezbollah vowing to continue attacks until Israel’s assault on Gaza ends.
Mustafa Kassem contributed.
