Lebanese health officials ordered the public Tuesday to avoid using handheld communication devices after members of the militant group Hezbollah‘s pagers reportedly exploded throughout the country.
Al-Manar, a Lebanese television station run by Iran-backed 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’s office said ministers were informed of “security incidents” in a number of regions across the country.
The explosions occurred 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.
Lebanon’s Red Cross said it deployed 30 ambulances to respond to explosion injuries, with an additional 50 vehicles on standby. The country’s civil emergency authority urged citizens to donate blood at hospitals “as soon as possible,” state news reported.
It was unclear whether the explosions were part of a coordinated attack, which would represent a significant security breach for Hezbollah.
Mojtaba Amani, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, was injured in an explosion, according to the country’s embassy in Lebanon reported that. In an post on X, it described it as a “superficial” injury and that Amani was in a good condition.
As of late Tuesday 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.
The 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 affected 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 the northern border 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.