Thousands of people were injured today and several killed when their pagers exploded almost simultaneously across Lebanon.

Hezbollah acknowledged the injuries to some of its members and attributed the attack to Israel.

At least nine were killed in the blasts, which injured around 2,800 people. At least 170 people are in a critical condition.

The extraordinary incident comes amid increased hostility between Hezbollah and Israel and raises tensions in the region further. 

The Lebanese government also blamed Israel for the explosions, condemning the attack as criminal aggression.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health urged citizens who possess pagers to discard them and warned hospitals to be on high alert. The explosions affected several areas in Lebanon, particularly the southern suburbs of Beirut, according to Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces.

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