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Lebanon attacks: Hezbollah chief to respond after pagers, walkie-talkies and solar panels explode in two days of carnage as Israel declares ‘new phase of war’ as Middle East braced for all-out conflict _ Hieuuk

Hezbollah’s leader in Lebanon will today make a televised address after the group’s members were targeted in a series of deadly explosions to pagers, walkie-talkies and solar panels which has killed more than 30 people and left thousands injured.

Hassan Nasrallah is expected to speak this afternoon following the second wave of blasts to hit Lebanon where thousands of electronic devices have been detonated over two days.

It comes as Israel‘s defence minister Yoav Gallant declared a ‘new phase’ of war after nearly a year of cross-border fighting with Hezbollah. Israel has been accused of orchestrating the sophisticated operation to blow up devices but has so far not claimed responsibility.

Follow MailOnline’s live coverage below

18:21

Breaking:37 people killed after device explosions

Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad said 37 people were killed and more than 3,500 wounded in a new toll after hand-held devices used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon, in attacks blamed on Israel.

Abiad said 25 people were killed on Wednesday and 12 on Tuesday, updating an earlier toll of 32 dead overall.

18:14

Lebanese minister – ‘We have to think twice before using technology’

Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad attends an interview with Reuters, as more than 1,000 people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded on Tuesday when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, according to a security source, in Beirut, Lebanon September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Emilie Madi

Lebanon’s health minister, Firass Abiad, said said people will have to ‘think twice’ before using technology after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies exploded in the past two days.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Abiad said he believes the wave of blasts constitute a war crime and showed Israel’s intent is not to reach a ‘diplomatic situation’ amid fears of an all-out war.

It comes amid reports people in Lebanon are scared to use their phones and laptops over fears they could become the next devices to blow up.

Mr Abiad said the ‘weaponisation’ of technology was an important issue for the world to confront, adding people must ‘think twice’ before using it.

He said:

The whole world could see that these attacks occurred in markets.These were not people who were at the battleground fighting. They were in civilian areas with their families.”

The two attacks in the last day, show that their intent (Israel) is not towards a diplomatic solution. What I know is the position of my government is clear. From day one, we believe that Lebanon does not want war.

18:00

Pictures: Smoke rises over Lebanon after Israeli airstrikes

We can now show you pictures of smoke billowing from the scenes of an Israel airstrikes in southern Lebanon overnight.

Israel’s military has claimed that airstrikes have targeted Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure” in six areas of southern Lebanon during the cross-border attacks.

Images show smoke rising over the villages of Khiam and al-Taybeh near the border.

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Khiam near the border on September 19, 2024. Lebanon's Hezbollah has traded  near-daily fire with Israeli forces in support of ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack triggered war in the Gaza Strip, with repeated escalations during more than 11 months of the cross-border violence. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP) (Photo by RABIH DAHER/AFP via Getty Images)
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Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in the southern Lebanese village of al-Taybeh on September 19, 2024. Lebanon's Hezbollah has traded near-daily fire with Israeli forces in support of ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack triggered war in the Gaza Strip, with repeated escalations during more than 11 months of the cross-border violence. (Photo by AMMAR AMMAR / AFP) (Photo by AMMAR AMMAR/AFP via Getty Images)

17:45

Pictured: Israeli media evacuate injured after anti-tank missile is fired from Lebanon

A photograph has emerged of Israeli military evacuating injured people by helicopter after an anti-tank missile was fired into Israel from Lebanon.

According to Israeli media reports, at least eight people were wounded by the missile this morning.

Israel's military evacuate injured people by helicopter after an anti-tank missile was fired into Israel from Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, near Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel September 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ayal Margolin ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL

17:30

Inside the most audacious strike in modern warfare

*This article is available to Mail + subscribers only*

by David Patrikarakos and Sabrina Miller

The scene is a hospital ward in Beirut. The atmosphere is one of devastation and chaos. Men lie on beds or slump in wheelchairs, their clothes spattered with blood. One rolls onto his side: the end of his hand is ragged, torn almost like paper. Stumps dangle where his ­fingers once were.

It’s just one of several videos from Lebanon sent to me by Middle Eastern sources over the last 24 hours. I’m watching the visceral aftermath of one of the most audacious intelligence operations in history, but I’m also watching something else – a clear message: don’t mess with the state of Israel. The country’s security forces have a reputation of carrying out operations with unparalleled ruthlessness and ­efficacy. Over the past 24 hours, it seems they may have surpassed themselves.

On Tuesday afternoon, explosions from the pagers of Hezbollah fighters rippled across Beirut. What happened next was an extraordinary sight – terrorists collapsing while browsing fresh produce; keeling over in the street as their trouser pockets exploded; imploding into a heap as they paid at tills.

Read more here:

17:15

Bulgaria to investigate company linked to pagers sale

Bulgaria will investigate a company linked to the sale of pagers to Lebanon’s militant group Hezbollah that exploded this week in a coordinated attack, the state security agency said on Thursday.

Bulgaria’s state security agency, DANS, said in a statement that it is working with the interior ministry to probe the role of a company registered in Bulgaria, without naming it.

Bulgarian media reports allege that a Sofia-based company called Norta Global Ltd had facilitated the sale of the pagers, which exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday, killing 11 people and wounding 4,000.

The company is yet to comment on reports.

17:00

Lebanon attacks: Everything you need to know this morning

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Abd Rabbo Ammar/ABACA/Shutterstock (14727975bb) Funeral organized by Hezbollah for four victims killed in the explosions of pagers or paging devices in an unprecedented attack on Lebanon and Syria, in Ghobeiri area, in Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, on September 18, 2024. Pagers Attack Victims Funeral By Hezbollah - Beirut, Lebanon - 18 Sep 2024

Lebanon is reeling after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah fighters exploded during two days of carnage, leaving thousands with horrific injuries, dozens dead, and many now terrified of a repeat attack.

Israel has been accused of orchestrating the blasts, and while it has not claimed responsibility, Hezbollah and its backers Iran have condemned their arch-foe for carrying out ‘mass murder’ and have vowed to exact revenge.

The chief of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, is set to make an address this afternoon, with Lebanese civilians holding their breath over how the hardline militia will retaliate and how Israel will respond in turn.

Here’s what you need to know this morning:

  • An Israeli citizen was arrested after allegedly accepting money from Iran to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
  • Pagers and walkie-talkies have now been banned from flights operating at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri Airport
  • Israeli jets and artillery hit multiple targets in southern Lebanon overnight, Israel’s military said on Thursday, amid spiralling tensions
  • A Japanese company that makes radios identified in the walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon has said it is ‘not possible’ to confirm whether they had shipped the devices
  • The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on the explosions in Lebanon on Friday afternoon amid widespread concern over the use of booby-traps

16:45

Turkey accuse Israel of mounting ‘step by step’ attacks on Lebanon

Turkey has become the latest country to criticise Israel following the explosions in Lebanon.

The nation has today accused Israel of seeking to expand the war in Gaza to Lebanon with the ‘alarming’ wave of deadly explosions that swept though Hezbollah strongholds.

‘The escalation in the region is alarming,’ foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on state-run TRT television.

We see Israel mounting its attacks towards Lebanon step by step.

The blasts have killed 32 people in two days, including two children, wounding more than 3,000 others, according to Lebanese health ministry figures.

16:35

UN Security Council to meet on Friday

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Xinhua/Shutterstock (14728173a) A United Nations Security Council briefing on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is held at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 18, 2024. Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, on Wednesday urged the Afghan interim government to address the legitimate concerns of the international community and take steps to effectively protect the basic rights of women and girls. Un Security Council Briefing Afghanistan Chinese Envoy Basic Rights of Women and Girls - 19 Sep 2024

The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on the explosions in Lebanon on Friday afternoon amid widespread concern over the use of booby-traps.

Tasked with ensuring international peace and security, the council is meeting at the request of Algeria, the Arab representative on the powerful 15-member body.

It comes amid growing concerns over the use of booby-traps because of the danger to civilians.

Mary Ellen O’Connell, a professor of law and international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said booby-traps are banned under international law.

Weaponizing an object used by civilians is strictly prohibited.

The UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, called for an independent investigation into the mass explosions, saying: ‘The fear and terror unleashed is profound.’

While the pagers were used by Hezbollah members, there is no guarantee someone else may hold the device upon detonation.

Also, many of the casualties were not Hezbollah fighters, but members of the group’s extensive civilian operations mainly serving Lebanon’s Shiite community. At least two health workers were among those killed on Tuesday.

16:25

Exclusive:Humiliated Hezbollah could launch its own black op strikes on Jewish targets outside Israel

Hezbollah has been left reeling by a spate of shocking explosions in the past two days that killed at least 32 people and wounded thousands across Lebanon and Syria when their communications equipment detonated without warning.

The coordinated attacks, unprecedented in scope and scale, appear to be the work of Israel’s Mossad spy agency and have ushered in a new era of psychological warfare.

Though he did not reference the exploding devices directly, Israel’s hawkish defence minister Yoav Gallant declared yesterday: ‘We are at the start of a new phase in the war’ and praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, saying ‘the results are very impressive’.

Read more here:

16:09

Israeli citizen is arrested ‘after accepting cash from Iran to assassinate Benjamin Netanyahu’

Big story from Israel this morning…

An Israeli citizen was arrested after allegedly accepting money from Iran to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it has been revealed.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar announced today that Tehran was behind a plot to kill senior officials in Israel following the assassination of Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh in late July.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other top Israeli officials were also named as Iranian targets claimed to have been uncovered by Israeli intelligence.

Read our story here:

15:55

Airport bans pagers and walkie-talkies

Pagers and walkie-talkies have now been banned from flights operating at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri Airport, according to state media.

Lebanon’s National News Agency is reporting passengers have been told they can no longer carry the devices in their carry-on luggage and they will be confiscated if discovered.

Rafic Hariri Airport is the only commercial airport in Lebanon and was named after the country’s former prime minister who was assassinated in 2005.

15:43

Watch: The moment Israel’s walkie-talkie booby-traps brought second day of fear to Lebanon

by James Reynolds

The world was still asking how pagers belonging to Hezbollah could have been fixed with explosives and detonated when radios began to explode yesterday afternoon.

As hospitals in Lebanon wrestled to limit the casualties from thousands of explosions across the country on Tuesday, horror erupted for a second time within 24 hours.

Video showed how walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded suddenly around 3pm, killing at least 20 and wounding more than 450 in a deadly second bout.

Read more here and watch the footage:

15:35

Pictured: Explosions rock Lebanon for second day running

These photographs captured yesterday illustrate the scale of destruction across Lebanon and fires broke out in cars and homes when thousands of walkie-talkie radios blew up.

Solar panels also exploded inside houses. The chaos comes just a day after pagers exploded across Lebanon in an apparent attack on Hezbollah’s communications network.

3273395 How a second day of explosions across Lebanon unfolded

3273395 How a second day of explosions across Lebanon unfolded

This picture shows on September 18, 2024 the remains of an exploded radio device inside a house in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon. Hezbollah was in disarray on September 19, after a second wave of explosions swept through its strongholds across Lebanon, piling pressure on its leader ahead of a major speech to exact revenge for the operation it blames on Israel. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

This picture shows on September 18, 2024 the damage in a house after a radio device exploded inside a house in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon. Hezbollah was in disarray on September 19, after a second wave of explosions swept through its strongholds across Lebanon, piling pressure on its leader ahead of a major speech to exact revenge for the operation it blames on Israel. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

15:25

Japanese firm – Not possible to know whether our walkie-talkies were used in blast

Japanese radio equipment maker Icom Inc director Yoshiki Enomoto shows its model IC-V82 device, which the company said they stopped production in 2014, during an interview at its headquarters in Osaka, Japan, September 19, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A Japanese company that makes radios identified in the walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon has said it is ‘not possible’ to confirm whether they had shipped the devices.

Icom, which manufactures the IC-V82 is a handheld radio, released a statement after a series of explosions on Wednesday involving the devices which killed 20 people and injured hundreds more.

The company said:

The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, it has not been shipped from our company.

The production of the batteries needed to operate the main unit has also been discontinued, and a hologram seal to distinguish counterfeit products was not attached, so it is not possible to confirm whether the product shipped from our company.

It added that products for overseas markets are sold exclusively through its authorised distributors, and that its export programme is based on Japanese security trade control regulations.

15:15

Israeli PM Netanyahu slams ‘misguided’ Starmer

This article is available only to Mail + subscribers

by Natalie Lisbona and Andy Jehring

Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the world’s most controversial elected leaders – a patriot to his supporters and a villain to his enemies.

Since Hamas launched its barbaric terrorist attack on October 7 last year, killing perhaps 1,200 people and seizing some 255 hostages in the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust, ‘Bibi’ has faced widespread criticism at home and abroad for the unflinching nature of his response – even as Israel fights an existential battle for its own survival.

Some critics have accused him of committing ‘genocide’ in the Gaza Strip, following the terror group’s claims that 40,000 Palestinians have been killed during the IDF’s operations there.

Read more here:

14:55

Hospitals packed with patients ‘covered in blood’

Families of victims who were injured Monday by their exploded handheld pagers, wait at the emergency entrance of the American University hospital, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

*Warning – the following contains graphic details*

Eyewitnesses have recounted how hospitals across the Lebanese capital Beirut were filled with patients suffering traumatic injuries following the explosions to pagers and walkie-talkies this week.

Journalist Sally Abou Al Joud told the BBC she saw people ‘covered in blood’ as ambulances arrived to drop-off casualties who had horrific facial injuries.

We’re talking about hands injured, severely injured fingers torn, I’ve heard some doctors say we need to perform amputation surgeries to remove hands, [and] … they need to perform surgeries for eyes to remove them.

Meanwhile, a doctor has told the BBC the scenes following the pager attacks were ‘something we never had seen before’

Dr Nour El Osta, from the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Beirut, said:

It was a normal day at the beginning of the day, until it wasn’t anymore,” she told me. It unfortunately reminded us of the 4 August 2020 explosion [when more than 200 people were killed in Beirut port] but it was also different.

She said ‘we received too many similar injuries… all patients had lost fingers or had eye injuries. It was something we never had seen before.’

14:45

Hezbollah leader to make televised address

An image grab taken from Hezbollah's al-Manar TV on August 25, 2024, shows Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah giving a televised address from an undisclosed location. Nasrallah said his group's attack on Israel targeted the Glilot base near Tel Aviv, after Israel said it had thwarted a large-scale Hezbollah attack, and launched air strikes on Lebanon. (Photo by Al-Manar / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / AL-MANAR" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by -/Al-Manar/AFP via Getty Images)

Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, will address the nation this afternoon after two-days of attacks on the group’s communication networks.

Nasrallah has apparently been unharmed after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members exploded on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hezbollah has already vowed revenge against Israel who it claims orchestrated the sophisticated attacks on the devices.

Nasrallah is scheduled to speak at around 3pm UK time.

14:30

Lebanon hit by overnight airstrikes

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Xinhua/Shutterstock (14727694d) A firefighter battles a fire following a rocket attack from Lebanon, in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, on Sept. 18, 2024. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that Israel has entered a "new phase" in its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, following two days of explosions targeting communication devices across Lebanon. Israel Kiryat Shmona Rocket Attack - 18 Sep 2024

Israeli jets and artillery hit multiple targets in southern Lebanon overnight, Israel’s military said on Thursday, amid spiralling tensions following the mass attack on Hezbollah communications devices this week.

The military said air strikes hit Hezbollah targets in Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun and Kfarkela in southern Lebanon, as well as a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the area of Khiam.

Israeli media reported that a number of Israeli civilians had been wounded by anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon but there was no official confirmation.

The latest Israeli strikes follow a period of sharply spiralling concern over an escalation of the conflict on the border with southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have been exchanging fire with Iranian-backed Hezbollah for months.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah fired around 20 projectiles into Israel, most of which were intercepted by air defence systems without causing any injuries, the military said.

Around 10 missiles were fired at the Mount Hermon area of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where Israel has key surveillance, espionage and air defence installations.

14:25

Is Israel preparing for all-out war with Hezbollah?

HAIFA, ISRAEL - SEPTEMBER 18: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT - ISRAELI MINISTRY OF DEFENSE - ARIEL HERMONI / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visits an airbase near the city of Haifa in northern Israel on September 18, 2024. Gallant stated that his country's 'focus has shifted to the Lebanese front, marking a new phase in the war,' following the second explosion in 24 hours affecting electronic devices across Lebanon, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by GPO - Ariel Hermoni/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant (pictured) last night declared a ‘new phase’ of war had began amid accusations the country is behind a series of detonations to electronic devices in the past two days.

Hopes to reach a diplomatic resolution to the conflict appear desperately faint with the threat of all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah almost palpable.

Israel has signalled a desire to change the status quo after almost a year of cross-border fire with Hezbollah since the Lebanese militant group began attacking on Oct. 8, a day after the war’s opening salvo by Hamas.

In recent days, Israel has moved a powerful fighting force up to the northern border, officials have escalated their rhetoric, and the country’s security Cabinet has designated the return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel an official war goal.

Israeli media reported Wednesday that the government has not yet decided whether to launch a major offensive in Lebanon.

Much, it seems, will depend on Hezbollah’s response. The group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, is expected to deliver a major speech on Thursday.

14:15

Lebanese journalist – What’s going to explode next? How life has turned into a horror film

by Hassan Harfoush

Thousands of walkie-talkies, solar panels and fingerprint recognition devices used by Hezbollah fighters have detonated across Lebanon in the past two days, killing 14 and wounding hundreds of people including mourners at a funeral.

The second wave of carnage hit a day after thousands of exploding pagers used by the group left almost 3,000 people injured and a dozen dead, including civilians and children.

Security sources confirmed that hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, at around the same time as compromised pagers. Lebanese media has also reported that home solar energy systems have blown up in several areas of Beirut.

Read more here:

14:08

Good morning

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Abd Rabbo Ammar/ABACA/Shutterstock (14727975b) Portrait of Hassan Nasrallah seen during funeral organized by Hezbollah for four victims killed in the explosions of pagers or paging devices in an unprecedented attack on Lebanon and Syria, in Ghobeiri area, in Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, on September 18, 2024. Pagers Attack Victims Funeral By Hezbollah - Beirut, Lebanon - 18 Sep 2024

We will today resume our live coverage following two attacks in Lebanon in consecutive days.

It comes after communication devices, namely pagers and walkie-talkie radios, belonging to Hezbollah fighters exploded which has resulted in more than 30 deaths and 3,000 injuries.

Sources claim the hand-held devices were compromised by Israeli intelligence experts in a joint operation with the IDF before they were delivered to Lebanon.

Israel is yet to comment on the blasts, but the country’s defence minister Yoav Gallant announced yesterday there was ‘a new phase in the war’.

We will bring you the latest developments and reaction from throughout the day.

04:56

Iran ‘reserves rights under international law to respond’ to attack on ambassador in Lebanon

Iran will follow up on an attack targeting its ambassador in Lebanon, the Iranian envoy to the United Nations said in a letter on Wednesday

It added that it “reserves its rights under international law to take required measures deemed necessary to respond”

04:29

Exclusive:Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘misguided’ Labour party has ‘undermined’ his country

Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Labour of undermining Israel as a second wave of booby-traps rocked the Middle East.

In an interview with the Mail, Israel’s prime minister attacked Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘misguided’ administration.

And he accused the Prime Minister of ‘sending a horrible message’ to Hamas after the UK Government suspended a raft of arms licences to Israel.

The Jewish State’s longest serving leader also slammed looming arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC) as ‘preposterous’ in his first British newspaper interview since the October 7 attack.

His responses were given days before thousands of Hezbollah fighters were maimed when hand-held pagers exploded in Syria and Lebanon on Tuesday. Yesterday another 14 people were killed and 450 injured when walkie-talkies used by the terror group detonated across Lebanon.

Israel has not yet commented on either attack – although it is widely believed they were orchestrated by the country’s spy agency Mossad.

04:22

MAPPED: The ways Hezbollah’s exploding tech could have got to Lebanon

04:08

Lebanon’s official military remains on high alert outside hospitals

BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 18: Lebanese soldiers, taking precautions in the area after a new wave of wireless communications device explosions across the country, controlled a detonation of a device they suspected to be rigged with explosives in a pit at the parking lot of the American University of Beirut Medical Center where the injured were brought in Lebanon on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)

BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 18: Lebanese soldiers, taking precautions in the area after a new wave of wireless communications device explosions across the country, controlled a detonation of a device they suspected to be rigged with explosives in a pit at the parking lot of the American University of Beirut Medical Center where the injured were brought in Lebanon on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)

BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 18: Lebanese soldiers, taking precautions in the area after a new wave of wireless communications device explosions across the country, controlled a detonation of a device they suspected to be rigged with explosives in a pit at the parking lot of the American University of Beirut Medical Center where the injured were brought in Lebanon on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)

04:02

Breaking:Death toll for Wednesday’s attack rises to 20

Lebanese health officials have confirmed that the death toll for Wednesday’s explosions has risen to 20.

03:47

Hezbollah ‘destroying thousands’ of pagers in wake of explosions

Sky News is reporting that Hezbollah is destroying ‘thousands and thousands’ of pagers, following Israel’s deadly tech attack that left more than two dozen dead and thousand injured over two days.

The broadcaster reported that the proscribed terror group has been left deeply embarrassed by the attacks

03:18

UN official says pager blasts are ‘violation of international humanitarian law’

A UN official has said the pager blasts in Lebanon were a ‘violation of international humanitarian law’.

United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk slammed the attacks as he called for an ‘independent, thorough and transparent investigation’.

He continued: ‘Simultaneous targeting of thousands of individuals, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowledge as to who was in possession of the targeted devices, their location and their surroundings at the time of the attack, violates international human rights law and, to the extent applicable, international humanitarian law.’

03:15

Chilling moment multiple plumes of smoke rise over Beirut skyline as Hezbollah walkie talkies explode simultaneously

This is the chilling moment the Beirut skyline was darkened by plumes of smoke after thousands of Hezbollah walkie talkies exploded simultaneously.

A dramatic time-lapse video of the city showed large clouds of thick, grey smoke appearing in several different locations with at least one of the blasts taking place near a funeral organised by Hezbollah for three fighters and a child killed yesterday.

Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported the latest explosions across the city were the deadly result of the hand-held radios detonating –  an incident which has killed nine and injured more than 300, including mourners at today’s funeral.

Sources told Lebanese news outlet L’Orient Today that devices were set off inside cars, residential apartments and shops. Motorbike radios and security locks also blew up across Lebanon.

02:49

US Deny involvement in Hezbollah blasts

The U.S. remains involved in intensive diplomatic efforts to prevent an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday.

Hand-held radios used by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon’s south, in Beirut suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, further stoking tensions with Israel a day after similar explosions by the group’s pagers.

Kirby said the U.S. was not involved in the device blasts.

National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

02:09

Russia blasts Lebanon explosions as a ‘heinous act of terrorism’

Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson has slammed the Lebanon blasts as a ‘heinous act of terrorism’.

Maria Zakharova told RT: ‘All the signs are there of an international terrorist attack because it is obvious that in order to gather such a large amount of equipment, it had to be brought in, crossing several borders.

‘Obviously, there is an international trail in this and it should be investigated accordingly.

‘Now the reaction of the west should be indicative. If the west remains silent, and as always, does not insist on an investigation, does not talk about human rights, does not repeat its rhetoric of many years, which they have used in similar cases when terrorist acts were committed on their territory, then this will be proof of their direct engagement.’

02:03

Breaking:No10 says Lebanon situation is ‘deeply concerning’

The Lebanon blasts are ‘deeply concerning’, Downing Street has said.

A Number 10 spokesperson said Keir Starmer is monitoring the issue ‘closely’.

They added: ‘We are working with our international partners to urge calm and de-escalation at this critical time.’

ROME, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 16: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to members of the media on September 16, 2024 in Rome, Italy. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has meetings with the Italian government including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni about different plans to tackle illegal migration. (Photo by Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

01:41

Lebanon carry out controlled explosions on walkie-talkies

Lebanon have carried out a controlled explosion on a walkie-talkie following blasts from electronic devices today.

The country’s military said they were detonating suspicion items.

One (below) was blown in the car park outside the American University of Beirut Medical Centre – a hospital where many injured by today’s blasts are being treated.

A view shows a hole where the Lebanese army carried out a controlled explosion of a walkie-talkie device outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center, in Beirut, Lebanon September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

01:32

Hamas blames Israel for walkie-talkie explosions

Palestinian militant group Hamas has blamed Israel for a new wave of device explosions in Lebanon in which walkie-talkies exploded in Hezbollah strongholds killing 14 people and wounding more than 450.

“We strongly condemn the renewed and ongoing Zionist aggression against the brotherly Lebanese people,” Hamas said in a statement, adding that the attack, a day after Hezbollah pagers blew up, killing 12 people and wounding 2,800, “now threatens the security and stability of the region”.

01:27

Revealed: Iran’s ambassador ‘lost an eye when his ”Hezbollah-issued pager” exploded

Iran’s envoy to Lebanon reportedly lost an eye when a pager exploded in his face during a deadly pocket bomb attack which tore through the country.

Thousands of walkie talkies used by Hezbollah fighters detonated across Lebanon today, killing nine and wounding hundreds of people including mourners at a funeral, witnesses and security sources reported.

The second wave of carnage came a day after thousands of exploding pagers used by the group left almost 3,000 people injured and a dozen dead, including civilians and children.

Iranian ambassador Mojtaba Amani lost one of his eyes and seriously injured the other when his pager exploded in the attack, according to The New York Times.

00:56

Breaking:14 killed and 450 wounded in today’s blasts as walkie-talkie death toll rises

14 people have now been killed and 450 wounded as the death toll from today’s walkie-talkie blasts continues to rise, Lebanon’s health ministry has said.

00:52

UN General Assembly back demand for Israel to end ‘unlawful presence’ in Gaza

The U.N. General Assembly strongly supported a nonbinding Palestinian resolution Wednesday demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank within a year.

The vote in the 193-member world body was 124-14, with 43 abstentions. Among those in opposition was the United States, Israel’s closest ally.

The resolution was adopted as Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza approaches its first anniversary and as violence in the West Bank reaches new highs. Troubled efforts to broker a cease-fire deal in Gaza and are pressing ahead, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken meeting fellow mediators Wednesday in Egypt, even as attacks elsewhere in the region raise fears of escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, called the vote a turning point “in our struggle for freedom and justice.”

“It sends a clear message that Israel’s occupation must end as soon as possible and that the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination must be realized,” he said.

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador, Danny Danon, slammed the vote as “a shameful decision that backs the Palestinian Authority’s diplomatic terrorism.”

“Instead of marking the anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre by condemning Hamas and calling for the release of all 101 of the remaining hostages, the General Assembly continues to dance to the music of the Palestinian Authority, which backs the Hamas murderers,” Danon said.

00:37

Netanyahu: ‘I have said it before, we will return to the citizens of the north to their homes’

In a statement released on social media, Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he will return Israel’s northern citizens to their homes.

Amid heightening border tensions, he said: ‘I have said it before, we will return to the citizens of the north to their homes in security and that’s exactly what we are going to do.’

00:35

Tensions heighten on northern border as Israel moves up troops

And after Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday declared that Israel was expanding its war aims to enable the return of evacuated civilians to their homes in the north of the country, the IDF has today moved additional troops to the border with Lebanon.

Earlier today, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi accused Israel of pushing the Middle East to the brink of a regional war by orchestrating a dangerous escalation on many fronts.

‘Hezbollah wants to avoid an all-out war. It still wants to avoid one. But given the scale, the impact on families, on civilians, there will be pressure for a stronger response,’ said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center.

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

00:28

Netanyahu vows to return thousands of Israelis back to their homes in northern border areas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to return tens of thousands of residents evacuated from northern border areas to their homes, amid mounting tensions with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.

In a brief video statement, Netanyahu made no mention of the operation that remotely detonated thousands of pagers and hand-held radio devices used by operatives of Hezbollah, which has blamed the attack on Israel.

“I have said it before, we will return to the citizens of the north to their homes in security and that’s exactly what we are going to do,” he said in a brief video statement, giving no further details.

In separate remarks, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said more forces were being sent to the northern border, where Israel has been exchanging daily fire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah for months, as the war moved into a new phase.

“The ‘centre of gravity’ is moving north, meaning that we are allocating forces, resources and energy for the northern arena,” he said in remarks released by his office.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem on September 2, 2024. (Photo by Ohad Zwigenberg / POOL / AFP) (Photo by OHAD ZWIGENBERG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

00:16

UN Secretary-General says he is ‘deeply alarmed’ by exploding handsets

The U.N. Secretary-General has said he is ‘deeply alarmed’ by reports of exploding pagers and walkie talkies in Lebanon and Syria.

“The secretary general urges all concerned actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation,” his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric continued, adding that he is calling for a “return to a cessation of hostilities to restore stability”.

Earlier today, Antonio Guterres warned that the pager blasts targeting Hezbollah indicate “a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon and everything must be done to avoid that escalation.”

“Obviously the logic of making all these devices explode is to do it as a pre-emptive strike before a major military operation,” he told reporters ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly .

He also said that it was very important not to weaponize civilian objects.

Guterres “urges all concerned actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric later said in a statement.

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 18: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres makes statements to journalists ahead of the "Summit of the Future" and the UN General Assembly week in New York, United States on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

00:06

PICTURED: Funeral ceremony held for four who were killed in Lebanon when pagers exploded

BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 18: Funeral ceremony held for 4 people who were killed in Lebanon when pagers used by Hezbollah members were detonated, in Dahiyeh neighborhood, south of the capital Beirut, Lebanon on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)

BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 18: Funeral ceremony held for 4 people who were killed in Lebanon when pagers used by Hezbollah members were detonated, in Dahiyeh neighborhood, south of the capital Beirut, Lebanon on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)

BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 18: Funeral ceremony held for 4 people who were killed in Lebanon when pagers used by Hezbollah members were detonated, in Dahiyeh neighborhood, south of the capital Beirut, Lebanon on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)

23:47

Israel declares it is starting a ‘new phase’ of war

Israel’s defence minister has declared the start of a ‘new phase’ of the war as Israel focuses on the northern front – against Hezbollah in Lebanon

Yoav Gallant did not mention exploding pagers and walkie talkies but praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, in a speech to troops today.

He said their ‘results are very impressive’, as he told gathered soldiers that they are ‘diverting forces, resources, and energy toward the north’, according to the Times of Israel.

23:32

PICTURED: Missiles exchanged between Israel and Lebanon amid border hostility

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

Smoke rises above Kiryat Shmona after rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israel, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Ayal Margolin ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL

Smoke rises above Israeli city Kiryat Shmona after rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israel

epa11612101 Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as seen from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, 18 September 2024. The Israeli military stated that several missiles fired from Lebanon crossed into Israeli territory and were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as seen from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel

23:27

UN Security Council to meet over pager blasts

The United Nations Security Council will meet on Friday over the pager blasts in Lebanon targeting militant group Hezbollah.

Slovenia’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Zbogar, president of the 15-member council for September said the meeting was requested by Algeria on behalf of Arab states.

Earlier today, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the pager blasts targeting Hezbollah indicate ‘a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon and everything must be done to avoid that escalation.’

‘Obviously the logic of making all these devices explode is to do it as a pre-emptive strike before a major military operation,’ he told reporters ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly .

He also said that it was very important not to weaponize civilian objects.

Guterres ‘urges all concerned actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation,’ his spokesman Stephane Dujarric later said in a statement.

23:25

Breaking:Nine killed and 300 injured in today’s blasts

Nine people have been killed and more than 300 injured in today’s blasts across Lebanon, the health ministry has revealed.

A woman carries a Hezbollah flag during the funeral of persons killed when hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon the previous day, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 18, 2024. Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon on September 17, killing at least nine people and wounding around 2,800 in blasts the Iran-backed militant group blamed on Israel. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

A woman carries a Hezbollah flag during the funeral of persons killed when hundreds of paging devices exploded

Mourners chant slogans during the funeral of persons killed when hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon the previous day, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 18, 2024. Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon on September 17, killing at least nine people and wounding around 2,800 in blasts the Iran-backed militant group blamed on Israel. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Mourners chant slogans during the funeral of persons killed when hundreds of paging devices exploded

22:55

Attacks mark Hezbollah’s biggest security breach

The consecutive attacks amount to the biggest security breach in Hezbollah’s history, with the group and its backers Iran condemning Israel and labelling it ‘mass murder’.

The repetition of the clandestine attacks, which Israel has not taken responsibility for, will raise already spiking tensions in the region to fever pitch, with Lebanon’s foreign minister today warning that the blasts are an omen of a widening war.

22:45

Pictured: Crowds gather outside hospital after second day of explosions

Crowds have gathered outside a hospital in Baalbek in east Lebanon after communication devices exploded for a second day in Hezbollah strongholds.

People gather outside a hospital in Baalbek in east Lebanon after communication devices exploded for a second day in Hezbollah strongholds in the country, on September 18, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions between Israel and Hezbollah fighters. Communication devices exploded on July 18 in Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, as the Iran-backed group vowed to retaliate against Israel after a deadly wave of pager blasts that has raised fears of an all-out war. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

22:28

Watch: United Nations cars pelted with stones

Video footage circulating on social media shows Untied Nations vehicles being pelted with stones by members of the public.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon consists of 10,000 peacekeepers whose aim is to protect the country.

22:23

Watch: Moment walkie talkies detonate during funeral

We can now show you footage of the moment one of the explosions took place in a packed street during a funeral.

Hundreds of poeple have been injured after walkie talkie radios belonging to Hezbollah members were detonated just a day after pagers exploded across the country.

See the video below:

Hezbollah walkie talkies detonate during funeral in crowded street

22:19

Wireless radios ‘handed out to Hezbollah rally organisers’

Wireless radios targeted during a second day of carnage in Lebanon are less used than pagers and were distributed to Hezbollah rally organisers, CNN has reported citing a Lebanese security source.

22:12

30 Red Cross ambulance teams deployed to explosions

The Lebanese Red Cross has declared it is responding to the latest explosions in Lebanon with 30 ambulance teams deployed across multiple areas of the country.

Hundreds of people have been wounded by this afternoon’s explosions in Lebanon, security sources have told Reuters.

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Many of the wounds were to the stomach and hands, the source said.

Nearly 3,000 people had already been injured in yesterday’s detonation of pagers across the country.

22:10

Breaking:Thousands of Hezbollah walkie talkies blown up – reports

Thousands of two-way personal radios used by Hezbollah members across Lebanon have been blown up in a second wave of an intelligence operation launched by Israel, US news outlet Axios has reported.

Two sources told Axios the radios marked the newest attacks on communication devices after pagers were detonated across the country on Tuesday.

It reports the radios were reportedly booby-trapped in advance by Israeli intelligence services and then delivered to Hezbollah which had intended to use them in a conflict with Israel.

22:04

Breaking:Walkie talkies explode killing three and leaving dozens injured in second wave of carnage

by Elena Salvoni

Walkie talkies used by Hezbollah fighters have detonated across Lebanon, killing three and wounding dozens of people including mourners at a funeral, witnesses and security sources have reported.

It comes a day after thousands of exploding pagers used by the group left almost 3,000 people injured and a dozen dead, including civilians and children.

Hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, at around the same time as the compromised pagers, a security source has now revealed.

Read more here:

21:58

Hundreds injured in latest explosions – reports

Hundreds of people across Lebanon have been injured in the latest blasts to hit the country.

Walkie-talkie radios are the latest communication devices to be detonated after pagers were blown up across the country during a targeted attack on Hezbollah.

21:48

Breaking:Three killed by device blasts – reports

Three people have been killed in Lebanon’s Bekaa region in the east of the country following the latest detonations to communication devices, the state news agency reported on Wednesday.

21:46

Breaking:Pictured: Walkie-talkie radios detonate in Beirut

Two-way radios and more pagers have reportedly been detonated in Beirut with witnesses claiming multiple cars and homes are on fire and more people have been injured.

21:40

Breaking:Multiple explosions reported at funeral for Hezbollah members

Multiple explosions occurred Wednesday at the site of a funeral for three Hezbollah members and a child killed by exploding pagers the day before, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene.

Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported explosions in multiple areas of Lebanon, which it said were the result of walkie-talkies detonating.

21:38

Walkie-talkies were purchased at same time as pagers

A security source has claimed the walkie-talkie radios that have reportedly blown up in Beirut were purchased around five months ago, the same time as pagers that exploded on Tuesday.

Read our breaking news story here.

21:31

Breaking:Hezbollah’s hand-held radios have detonated

Explosions have rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut for the second consecutive day as more people are injured by blasts following a series of detonations to devices.

Hand-held radios used by Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah detonated late on Wednesday afternoon across the country’s south and in the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, a security source and a witness told Reuters.

At least one of the blasts took place near a funeral organized by Iran-backed Hezbollah for those killed the previous day when thousands of pagers used by the group exploded across the country.

21:15

Breaking:Blasts reported in Beirut

Reuters journalists in Beirut’s southern suburbs heard at least two contained blasts in separate parts of the suburbs on Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the explosions.

We will bring you developments as and when we can.

21:05

Pictured: British-educated boss of Hungarian firm accused of making pagers that exploded

by Paul Thompson

The glamorous CEO of a company accused of manufacturing the exploding pagers that killed 12 people and injured thousands in one of the most audacious attacks ever launched by Israel on Hezbollah has been pictured.

Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, who studied in London and lists ‘disaster management’ as one of her skills, is listed as the Chief Executive of the Hungarian-based company BAC Consulting said to have supplied the devices to the Lebanese group.

She has denied any involvement with the pagers and told a US TV station:’ I don’t make the pagers. I am just the intermediate. I think you got it wrong.’

Read more here:

20:55

Iranian President – Israel’s allies in the West should feel ‘shame’ over pagers bomb attack

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Western backers of Israel should feel “shame” after paging devices belonging to Lebanon’s Hezbollah exploded.

The deadly attack targeting the Tehran-aligned group has been blamed on Israel.

‘Western countries and the Americans… fully support the crimes, killings and indiscriminate assassinations of the Zionist regime’, Pezeshkian said in a statement, referring to Israel, adding that the explosions should bring them ‘shame’.

20:40

Why were Hezbollah using 80s-style pagers?

by James Reynolds

Bodies fill the corridors of Beirut hospitals this morning as doctors desperately try to help those caught in a mass explosion of pagers across Lebanon yesterday.

Hezbollah operatives appeared to have been caught off guard by the detonation of thousands of pagers on Tuesday – an unprecedented attack on a technology brought in to replace mobile phones feared susceptible to Israeli hacking.

Israel and its military has not yet commented on the explosions, nor taken accountability for the attacks. Lebanese authorities were quick to blame ‘Israeli aggression’ as Hezbollah vowed revenge.

Read more here:

20:18

Breaking:Hezbollah launches retaliatory attack against Israeli artillery posts

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said on Wednesday it attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets in the first cross-border attack since the pager blasts, Reuters has reported.

Israel’s foreign ministry has reported rocket alarms have sounded in the north of the country.

20:14

Police arrive at Hungarian pager manufacturer – reports

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 18: A view of the head office of the BAC Consulting KFT company on September 18, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary. Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said that the pagers used by Hezbollah members that simultaneously exploded and killed at least nine people were made by a Hungarian partner BAC Consulting KFT. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Plain-clothes police officers have arrived at the address of BAC Consulting, a Budapest-based company accused of manufacturing the pagers which exploded in Lebanon, witnesses have told Sky News.

Individuals who apparently identified themselves as police officers reportedly asked not to be filmed when they attended the head office in the Hungarian capital.

It comes after Gold Apollo, a a Taiwan-based company, said the pagers were manufactured in Budapest by an entity called BAC Consulting Kft under a brand licensing deal before being delivered to Lebanon.

An executive of BAC Consulting Kft confirmed to NBC in a phonecall that the company worked with Gold Apollo but said ‘I don’t make the pagers. I am just the intermediary’, before hanging up.

19:56

Inside Israel’s Trojan Horse pager attack

by David Averre

Almost 3,000 people were injured and at least 12 killed in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday when pagers belonging to members of Hezbollah exploded in a shocking, co-ordinated attack of unprecedented scope and scale.

The crippling security breach is believed to be the result of a shady operation stretching from Hungary to Taiwan that was masterminded by Israel’s foreign spy agency.

It is alleged that Mossad, working in collaboration with elements of Israel’s Defence Forces (IDF), managed to infiltrate the supply chain and plant a small quantity of high explosives within the communication devices before they were delivered to Lebanon some time this spring.

Read more here:

19:34

Antony Blinken – Gaza ceasefire is best way to stem violence in Middle East

epa11611510 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) shakes hands with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty (R) during a press conference in Cairo, Egypt, 18 September 2024. US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on 17 September said the US was 'not involved' and 'not aware' in advance of the incident of exploding pagers in Lebanon. Lebanon's state news agency reported on 17 September that 'multiple wireless communication devices (pagers) were detonated using advanced technology.' Health Minister stated that over 2,500 people had been hurt and at least eight people had died. Blinken arrived in Egypt on a planned visit to co-chair the opening of the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue and meet with Egyptian officials to discuss ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. EPA/MOHAMED HOSSAM

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza would be the best way to stop violence from spreading in the Middle East.

Mr Blinken’s visit to Cairo marks the 10th trip to the region since the start of the war that was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.

His visit aimed to salvage stalled negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the conflict.

Speaking at a joint press conference alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Mr Blinken said

We discussed the importance of getting this deal across the finish line, something we’ll continue to pursue with our Qatari counterparts. We all know that a ceasefire is the best chance to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to address risks to regional stability.

Violence has surged in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the war broke out in Gaza, with Israel conducting large-scale raids in recent weeks.

19:20

Could your smartphone be next? Experts reveal if mobiles could also be targeted

by Jonathan Chadwick

Twelve people are dead and nearly 3,000 others wounded after thousands of pagers simultaneously exploded in the Middle East on Tuesday.

The coordinated attack targeted the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, and saw the small devices go off at around 15:30 local time across Lebanon and Syria.

It’s thought the pagers – used because they were harder to track than smartphones – were booby-trapped by Israeli intelligence personnel with explosives that were triggered when a message was received.

Read more here:

19:00

Map: Where did the pagers explode in Lebanon?

Close to 3,000 people were injured across Lebanon yesterday when pagers exploded in an apparently co-ordinated attack carried out against Hezbollah.

The country’s health minister Firass Abiad says 750 were injured in the south of Lebanon, and around 1,750 in the Beirut area.

While the UK-based watchdog Syrian Observatory of Human Rights has confirmed explosions in Syria’s capital Damascus.

Here’s a map showing where blasts were recorded on Tuesday.

18:43

Pictures: Business as usual for Lebanese street vendors

These pictures captured by a Reuters photographer show it’s business as ususal for these Lebanese street vendors ias they open up their wares the morning after a deadly pager attack.

The traders were pictured opening up their carts in Sidon, Lebanon’s third-largest city where some pagers exploded on Tueday.

Mohamed Yaseen, a street vendor, sells bread along a street, following pager detonations across Lebanon on Tuesday, in Sidon, Lebanon September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

Mahmoud al-Chamieh, a street vendor, sells fruits on a cart along a street, following pager detonations across Lebanon on Tuesday, in Sidon, Lebanon September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

18:29

Breaking:Antony Blinken – US not involved in pager attacks

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a joint press conference with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, not pictured, in Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

Antony Blinken has denied the US had any knowledge or involvement in the Lebanon pager blasts.

Speaking at a press conference alongsidehis Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty in Cairo, Mr Blinken said:

Broadly speaking, we have been very clear and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could escalate the conflict we are trying to resolve in Gaza.

It is imperative all parties refrain from any actions that could escalate the conflict.

18:20

Is Netanyahu paving the way for all-out war with Hezbollah?

by Elena Salvoni

The Middle East is on the brink after a mass attack on Hezbollah saw thousands of its militants’ pagers explode – just hours after Israel’s prime minister vowed to step up military action against Lebanon.

While Israel has not confirmed that it was behind the pager blasts – which left some 2,800 Hezbollah members and civilians injured and nine dead in Lebanon and Syria – several security sources have blamed the IDF and Mossad spy agency for the attack.

Hostile rhetoric on both sides was building even before the blasts amid ongoing cross-border fire between Lebanon and Israel over the past year, as Hezbollah continues to pummel Israel in a show of support to its allies Hamas in Gaza.

Read more here:

18:12

Jordan minister claims Israel is pushing Middle East towards war

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attends a press conference, in Amman, Jordan September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni

Israel is pushing the whole Middle East to the brink of regional conflict by maintaining a dangerous escalation on several fronts, Jordan’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.

In remarks after an Islamic and Arab ministerial contact group meeting in Amman to lobby for a Gaza ceasefire, Ayman Safadi said peace would not prevail without a two-state solution.

18:01

Hezbollah pager bomb attack: What has happened today?

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Xinhua/Shutterstock (14725397d) People wait to donate blood for those wounded in pager explosions in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 17, 2024. Eight people were killed, and over 2,800 others, including Hezbollah members, were wounded on Tuesday in different areas of Lebanon as their pagers exploded, said Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad. Lebanon Beirut Pager Explosions - 17 Sep 2024

Good afternoon, we are providing live updates and reaction to the deadly pager bomb explosions in Lebanon yesterday which targeted Hezbollah terrorists.

Israel has been blamed for the attack by compromising pagers with lithium batteries in an audacious operation masterminded by Mossad, Israel’s security services and the IDF

Here’s what has happened today:

  • Lebanon’s health minister has provided an update on the bomb attack and said two children were among at least 12 killed
  • Iran has accused Israel of ‘mass murder’ while Russia, Egypt and Turkey has shown support to Lebanon following the pager bomb attack yesterday
  • A Taiwanese company said it authorised its brand on the that pagers that exploded but insisted the devices were manufactured in the Hungarian capital Budapest
  • Security sources say Israeli military and intelligence personnel managed to access 5,000 pagers ‘at production level’ and insert a small amount of high explosives months before they were imported to Lebanon
  • A US security official today said that the attack was planned for a later date as part of an ‘all-out offensive’ against Hezbollah, but Israel chose to detonate the devices early amid concerns the Lebanese group had become aware of the plan
  • Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will give a speech on Thursday, the group said in a statement on Wednesday

17:50

Lebanon’s health minister – The wounded are not all young men

Firass Abiad said some of the injured have been moved to Iran and Syria and that more of he wounded may have to leave the country to receive specialist treatment.

Abiad said 750 were injured in the south of Lebanon, while there was around 1,750 casualties in the Beirut area.

Around 100 hospitals in Lebanon have admitted patients.

‘After checking with all the hospitals’, the toll was revised to ’12 dead including two children’, Abiad told a news conference.

The dead included a girl and a boy as well as four health workers from private hospitals in Beirut’s southern suburbs who had pagers, he said.

Some cases in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley were transferred to Syria, while other cases would be evacuated to Iran, he added.

‘A little less than 300 patients are in critical condition’ with some suffering from face injuries and brain haemorrhaging, Abiad said.

The wounded who arrived at the emergency room were not all young men. We saw children and elderly people.

17:25

Breaking:Lebanese health ministry – 12 people killed including two children

Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad speaks during a press conference as more than 1,000 people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded on Tuesday when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, according to a security source, in Beirut, Lebanon September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Emilie Madi

Firass Abiad, Lebanon’s health minister, has told a press conference 12 people have been killed, including an eight-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy.

Healthcare workers were also among those killed when pagers exploded across the country yesterday.

17:16

Pictured: Relatives mourn girl, 10, killed in pager blast

These pictures show relatives mourning the death of a 10-year-old girl who was among the victims when pagers exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday.

The AFP news agency captured images during the funeral for Fatima Abdallah in the village of Saraain in the Bekaa valley.

At least nine people were killed when pagers detonated across the country while 2,750 were injured – 300 critically.

Relatives mourn Fatima Abdallah, a 10-year-old girl killed after hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon, during her funeral in the village of Saraain in the Bekaa valley on September 18, 2024. Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon Tuesday, killing at least nine people and wounding around 2,800 in blasts the Iran-backed militant group blamed on Israel. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Relatives mourn Fatima Abdallah, a 10-year-old girl killed after hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon, during her funeral in the village of Saraain in the Bekaa valley on September 18, 2024. Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon Tuesday, killing at least nine people and wounding around 2,800 in blasts the Iran-backed militant group blamed on Israel. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Relatives mourn Fatima Abdallah, a 10-year-old girl killed after hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon, during her funeral in the village of Saraain in the Bekaa valley on September 18, 2024. Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon Tuesday, killing at least nine people and wounding around 2,800 in blasts the Iran-backed militant group blamed on Israel. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

17:07

Beirut resident describes pager bomb attack as ‘national traumatic event’

Footage of a man injured on the streets of Beirut amid PAGER bombs

A Lebanese journalist who once worked for the BBC has described yesterday’s pager bomb explosions as a ‘national traumatic event’.

Kim Ghattas was returning to her home in Beirut from a funeral when the blasts were triggered.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ms Ghattas, who now writes for The Atlantic after spending two decades at the BBC, said she felt ’emotion after emotion and trauma after trauma’.

It was really a scene of chaos across the city because people didn’t instantly understand what was happening.

We first thought it was one large explosion in the south of Beirut, it then became clear there were simultaneous small explosions everywhere.

Then we started seeing CCTV from inside shops and supermarkets of these small explosions targeting people doing their groceries or paying at the checkout.

Then for hours on end [we heard] the wail of sirens. The internal security forces were asking people to get off the streets because traffic was overwhelming the city. It was really a national traumatic event.

16:53

IDF target Hezbollah in overnight airstrikes

The IDF has attacked a building where members of Hezbollah were based last night, it has emerged this morning

In a tweet posted on X, the IDF shared footage of the airstrikes and said:

Last night, IDF forces identified a number of terrorists from the terrorist organization Hezbollah while they were operating in a military structure in the Majdal Salem area of ​​southern Lebanon.

In closing a circle from the air, fighter jets attacked the structure where the terrorists were operating. In addition, fighter jets attacked the organization’s military buildings in five different areas in the south Lebanon.

16:45

Airlines suspend flights to Middle East amid rising tensions

Delta Air Lines as seen in Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport. Delta uses Schiphol as one of the European hubs cooperating with KLM and AirFrance to distribute its passenger to the rest of the European Destinations. Delta Air Lines was founded in 1924 and today is the major American Airline, owning 850 aircrafts. Delta is member of SkyTeam aviation alliance. Delta is one of the last carriers who still uses the jumbo jet Boeing 747-400. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East have prompted international airlines to suspend flights to the region or to avoid affected air space.

Below are some of the airlines that have adjusted services to and from the region:

  • Air Algérie – The Algerian airline suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.
  • Air France said it was suspending services to Beirut and Tel Aviv up to and including September 19.
  • Air India – The Indian flag carrier suspended scheduled flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
  • Cathay Pacific – Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until March 27, 2025.
  • Delta – The US carrier paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through to October 31.
  • EasyJet– The UK budget airline stopped flying to and from Tel Aviv in April and will resume flights on March 30, 2025, a spokesperson said.
  • LOT Polish Airlines – Poland’s national flag carrier suspended flights to Lebanon until further notice.
  • Lufthansa – The German airline group said it was suspending all connections to and from Tel Aviv and Tehran up to and including September 19.
  • Ryanair – Europe’s biggest budget airline cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 26, citing ‘operational restrictions’.
  • United Airlines – The Chicago-based airline suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future due to security reasons.

16:22

US told Egypt backs Lebanon in wake of deadly pager blasts

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt, September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Cairo rejects any attempts at escalation in the region and supports Lebanon following the pager blasts, the Egyptian presidency said on Wednesday.

At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday.

The President affirmed Egypt’s rejection of attempts to escalate the conflict and expand its scope regionally, pointing out the need for all parties to act responsibly, and reaffirming Egypt’s support for Lebanon

Blinken is visiting Egypt hoping to advance efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and strengthen ties with Cairo.

16:11

Iran accuses Israel of mass murder while Russia denounces pager attack

We’re getting some reaction from nations to the deadly pager attack in Lebanon.

Iran has accused Israel of ‘mass murder’ today after devices belonging to Tehran-aligned Hezbollah exploded.

Foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement he ‘condemned the terrorist act of the Zionist regime… as an example of mass murder’.

The Iranian Red Crescent said on Wednesday it had dispatched ‘rescue teams and eye surgeons’ to Lebanon to treat the wounded.

There was no immediate comment from Israel

Elsewhere, Russia said it strongly condemned the deadly attack and called for ‘all parties involved to exercise restraint’.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said:

We strongly condemn the unprecedented attack on friendly Lebanon and its citizens, which constitutes a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and a serious challenge to international law through the use of unconventional weapons.

16:02

Did Israel detonate pagers earlier than planned?

Israeli and US sources have reportedly claimed the explosions carried out in Lebanon were triggered earlier than initially planned.

Media outlets Axios and Al-Monitor say insiders told them the detonations were intended to be the opening move in an “all-out” offensive against Hezbollah.

However, the attack was brought forward after Israel had grown concerned in recent days that Hezbollah had caught wind of the plan.

15:50

Watch: Explosion captured in Lebanese supermarket

Video footage from inside a Beirut supermarket appears to show the moment Israel sent out its deadly message.

A Hezbollah attacker was seen confusedly lifting his shirt up at a supermarket after getting a message on his pager, which lit up.

He stared at it for a second before it detonated, collapsing him in an instant as supermarket workers and fellow shoppers panicked and fled.

Watch the video below:

Pager explosions in Lebanon caught on camera

15:40

Everything you need to know about the explosive pagers

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Balkis Press/ABACA/Shutterstock (14725926e) An undated file catalog image of an Apollo pager, similar to the ones that exploded on September 17, 2024, in various cities of Lebanon and Syria, in an unprecedented cyber-attack or long distance attack against pro Iranian Hezbollah personnel. At least nine people have been killed and thousands are injured after handheld pagers, used by Hezbollah, exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday afternoon. The health ministry says 200 of those injured are in a critical condition. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the "sinful aggression", saying the country will get its "fair punishment". Exploding Pagers Kill Nine And Injure Thousands - Lebanon - 18 Sep 2024

The hundreds of pagers (not pictured) that exploded on Tuesday in Lebanon and Syria had apparently been acquired by the militant group Hezbollah after the group’s leader ordered members in February to stop using mobile phones, warning they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence.

The pagers exploded simultaneously, killing at least nine people, including members of Hezbollah, and wounding more than 2,000, including the Iranian ambassador

A Hezbollah official told the Associated Press the pagers were a new brand, but declined to say how long they had been in use.

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said it authorised its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria, but they were manufactured by a company based in Budapest.

The AR-924 pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary’s capital, according to a statement by Gold Apollo.

It said: “According to the co-operation agreement, we authorise BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC.”

Gold Apollo chairman Hsu Ching-kuang told journalists on Wednesday that his company has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years, but did not provide evidence of the contract.

The AR-924 pager, advertised as being “rugged”, contains a rechargeable lithium battery, according to specifications once advertised on Gold Apollo’s website before it was apparently taken down on Tuesday.

It could receive text messages of up to 100 characters.

15:10

How Israeli spies ‘stashed explosives in 5,000 pagers’

by David Averre

A pager bomb attack that left roughly 2,800 Hezbollah members and civilians injured and nine dead in Lebanon and Syria yesterday was authored by Israel’s Mossad spy agency and the IDF, several security sources claim.

The Lebanese group earlier this year ordered thousands of pagers to conduct communications after leader Hassan Nasrallah declared smartphones would be more susceptible to cyber attacks by Israeli forces.

Israeli military and intelligence personnel managed to access 5,000 pagers, produced in Budapest by BAC Consulting KFT, ‘at the production level’ and insert a small amount of high explosives months before they were imported to Lebanon, according to several security sources who spoke to Reuters.

Read more here:

14:55

Graphic: How the pager bomb attack was carried out

This graphic produced for the Daily Mail newspaper shows how the pager bomb attack was carried out in Lebanon yesterday.

Israeli security services and its military are said to have filled the hand-held ordered by Hezbollah with one or two ounces of explosive material along with a detonating switch prior to their delivery.

A Hezbollah official said the new pagers that its members were carrying had lithium batteries.

Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, melt and even catch on fire.

Rechargeable lithium batteries are used in consumer products ranging from phones and laptops to electric cars. Lithium battery fires can burn up to 590C.

14:46

Hezbollah chief to give speech tomorrow

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised address, in this screengrab taken from a handout video obtained on August 25, 2024. Al-Manar TV/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (pictured) will give a speech on Thursday, the group said in a statement on Wednesday.

Nasrallah is credited as one of the most powerful Shia figures in the Middle East who has left a lasting impact on Lebanon and its role in the Arab-Israel conflict.

Under his stewardship, Hezbollah has grown from a local armed movement to the largest political party in Lebanon’s recent history.

In 2018, Hezbollah won ore than 340,000 preferential votes, the most for any party in Lebanon since the country’s independence in 1943

In October 2021, Nasrallah said Hezbollah had 100,000 fighters, making it among the most powerful non-national armed organisations worldwide.

14:36

How will attack affect the Middle East?

Ambulances are surrounded by people at the entrance of the American University of Beirut Medical Center, on September 17, 2024, after explosions hit locations in several Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon amid ongoing cross-border tensions between Israel and Hezbollah fighters. Hundreds of people were wounded when Hezbollah members' paging devices exploded simultaneously across Lebanon on September 17, in what a source close to the militant movement said was an "Israeli breach" of its communications. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of war between Israel and Hezbollah’s ally Hamas in Gaza.

The clashes have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.

On Tuesday, Israel said that halting Hezbollah’s attacks in the north to allow residents to return to their homes is now an official war goal.

Israel has killed Hamas militants in the past with booby trapped cellphones and it’s widely believed to have been behind the Stuxnet computer virus attack on Iran’s nuclear programme in 2010.

14:20

What has Hezbollah said after attack?

Head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc Mohammad Raad looks on as he extends condolences to Ali Ammar (not pictured), for his son who was killed in the detonation of pagers for which Hezbollah blamed Israel, that killed at least eight people and wounded 2,750 others, including many of the militant group's fighters and Iran's envoy to Beirut, in Beirut, Lebanon September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Both Hezbollah and Lebanon’s government have squarely blamed Israel for the attack. Though Israel has not yet commented on the matter, allies including the United States sought to distance themselves from the attack.

Hezbollah said in a statement:

‘We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression,’ adding that Israel ‘will certainly receive its just punishment for this sinful aggression’.

In a second statement, the terror group added

After examining all the facts, current data, and available information about the sinful attack that took place this afternoon, we hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that targeted civilians too.

Prominent Hezbollah politician Ali Ammar spoke to the Associated Press after his son, Mahdi, was killed.

This is a new Israeli aggression against Lebanon. The resistance will retaliate in a suitable way at the suitable time.

Lebanon’s prime minister Najib Mikati condemned ‘criminal Israeli aggression’ and called the attack ‘a serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty’.

14:14

Hezbollah pager attack: What happened yesterday?

Mandatory Credit: Photo by EyePress News/Shutterstock (14725405b) (EDITORS NOTE: Image contains graphic content) A man is injured after his pager exploded in Beirut, Lebanon as at least eight people were killed and 2,800 injured on Tuesday Sept 17, 2024 in a wave of attacks targeting phone pagers held by members of the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah. Lebanese media outlets and Sky News Arabia report that Israel managed to hack the portable pagers and cause them to explode. Several injured in Lebanon in mass pager detonations, Beirut - 17 Sep 2024

Here’s a quick rundown of the attacks carried out on Hezbollah terrorists yesterday:

  • More than 300 people were rushed to hospital in a critical condition after pagers used by proscribed terror group Hezbollah detonated over a period of an hour yesterday afternoon.
  • The detonators activated at around 3.30pm local time (1.45pm UK time) on Tuesday after receiving a message that purported to be from Hezbollah’s top brass.
  • Widespread panic and chaotic scenes were seen across Beirut’s southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, while in neighbouring Syria 14 people were injured by the blasts, according to Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
  • Victims were seen writhing in agony with hideous injuries to their faces, abdomens and even their groins in harrowing images and videos shared to social media and published on Lebanese networks.
  • Among those reportedly killed were two girls, aged eight aged eight and ten, and the son of a Lebanese MP. Iran said its ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, also sustained injuries to his face and hand.
  • Both Hezbollah and Lebanon’s government have squarely blamed Israel for the attack. Though Israel has not yet commented on the matter, allies including the United States sought to distance themselves from the attack.

14:09

Israeli spies were behind pager bomb attack

Firstly, let’s bring you our current top story on the MailOnline website which reports Israel was involved in the deadly pager bomb attack

by Perkin Amalaraj and Sam Greenhill

Israeli spies were behind the pager bomb attack that killed nine, including two young girls, and left more than 2,750 people wounded across Lebanon.

The New York Times reported that Hezbollah’s pagers were compromised in a joint operation between Mossad, Israel’s shadowy intelligence agency, and the IDF.

The security service and military are said to have filled the pagers ordered by Hezbollah with one or two ounces of explosive material along with a detonating switch prior to their delivery.

Read more here:

14:02

Good morning

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Balkis Press/ABACA/Shutterstock (14725926d) A hand shows the destroyed pager or paging device that exploded on September 17, 2024, at same time that hundreds other pagers exploded in various cities of Lebanon and Syria, in an unprecedented cyber-attack or long distance attack against pro Iranian Hezbollah personnel. At least nine people have been killed and thousands are injured after handheld pagers, used by Hezbollah, exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday afternoon. The health ministry says 200 of those injured are in a critical condition. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the "sinful aggression", saying the country will get its "fair punishment". Exploding Pagers Kill Nine And Injure Thousands - Lebanon - 18 Sep 2024

Hello and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage of the pager bomb attack which targeted Hezbollah terrorists across Lebanon and Syria.

At least nine people were killed and 2,750 wounded, 300 critically, following a series of detonations of the hand-held devices on Tuesday afternoon.

Hezbollah immediately blamed Israel and vowed to exact revenge while the New York Times reported the pagers (pictured above) were compromised in a joint operation between Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, and the IDF.

We will bring you all the developments and reaction throughout the day as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah threaten to intensify further as both sides edge closer to war.

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