On Tuesday, hundreds of Hezbollah members were injured due to the simultaneous explosion of their pagers across Lebanon, according to a source close to the group who spoke to AFP. Another source close to the group confirmed the injuries but reported no fatalities. The second source attributed the incident to an "Israeli breach" of Hezbollah's communications, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
This is the first such incident since Hezbollah began near-daily exchanges of fire with Israel in support of Hamas, following the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel, which triggered the Gaza war. The source, who also requested anonymity, stated that the pagers exploded in Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs, southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
Health Minister Firass Abiad confirmed that hundreds of people were injured in the incidents across the country. An AFP photographer in Beirut's southern suburbs witnessed ambulances transporting injured Hezbollah members to hospitals in the area. In central Beirut, a photographer saw dozens of wounded individuals being taken to another hospital. An AFP correspondent in eastern Lebanon reported similar incidents in the Bekaa Valley, with dozens of people injured.
In southern Lebanon, an AFP correspondent noted that dozens of ambulances were rushing between the cities of Tyre and Sidon, with hospitals in both cities cordoned off. The health ministry issued a statement urging all hospitals near the locations of the injured to be on high alert and to increase their preparedness. Health workers were also asked to urgently report to their workplaces to assist.
The Lebanese Red Cross announced it was on "high alert" in a statement shared on X, formerly Twitter. Lebanon's official National News Agency described the event as an "unprecedented enemy security incident" involving "hand-held pagers detonating" in several regions. Hezbollah had previously advised its members to avoid using mobile phones after the Gaza war began to prevent Israeli breaches of the technology. Hezbollah members communicate through their own telecommunications system.
