Hezbollah and government officials are saying Israel is responsible for the attack, which wounded about 2,800 people and killed nine, according to multiple reports.
Reports also emerged that Israel was behind the attack, part of a joint operation between its intelligence service, the Mossad, and the Israeli military. The Israeli military has so far declined to comment.
Of the nine people that were killed, at least two were Hezbollah members and an eight-year-old girl. Ali Ammar, the son of one of Hezbollah’s members in the Lebanese parliament also was among the dead.
Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said Mojtaba Amani, the country’s ambassador, was slightly wounded and being treated at a hospital.
The wave of explosions continued for around an hour after the first detonations, which took place at about 3:45 p.m. local time. It’s not immediately clear how the devices were detonated, but the pagers are how Hezbollah communicates, Reuters reported.
The attacks have raised tensions in the region, already high due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
In the midst of the incident, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke twice with his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on Tuesday, two U.S. defense officials told CNN.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder earlier Tuesday told reporters that the two “spoke by phone today” but would not say how many times.
“The secretary reiterated the need for a ceasefire and hostage deal, and the importance of reducing tensions through diplomacy to prevent the potential for a wider regional conflict,” Ryder said.
The Lebanese foreign ministry said the explosions Tuesday were a “dangerous and deliberate Israeli escalation.” The pager attack is being viewed as Israel following up on its “threats to expand the war towards Lebanon on a large scale,” according to Reuters.
Cease-fire efforts in Gaza remain deadlocked, more than 11 months after the war began. The United States and other allied countries continue to look to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas before it expands into a regional war.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the United States was not aware of the pager attack and “not involved.” The department is in the process of gathering information on what happened.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
