Reuters reported on September 18 that Hezbollah vowed to retaliate against Israel after accusing it of being behind a series of pager explosions across Lebanon on September 17. The incident killed nine people and injured at least 2,750 others, including Hezbollah fighters and the Iranian ambassador to Beirut.
Lebanon's Information Minister Ziad Makary condemned the blasts as "Israeli aggression". Hezbollah said Israel would face "appropriate punishment" for the blasts.
However, the Israeli military has refused to comment on the incident, despite having repeatedly confronted Iran-backed Hezbollah since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023.
The death toll from the blast rose to nine on the night of September 17, while the number of injured remained at 2,750, according to a report from Lebanon’s Ministry of Health. In an earlier statement, Hezbollah confirmed that two of its fighters and a young girl were among the dead.
The explosions occurred in several areas controlled by Hezbollah, including southern Lebanon, the southern suburb of Beirut (known as Dahiyeh) and the eastern Bekaa Valley. An unnamed Hezbollah official said it was the “biggest security breach” for the group in nearly a year amid its conflict with Israel.
According to The New York Times, Israel planted explosives in Gold Apollo-branded pagers before importing them to Lebanon. The explosives were placed next to the battery with a switch that could be activated remotely.
The militant group Hamas - which is currently at war with Israel in Gaza - called the pager blasts an "escalation" and said the move would only lead to "defeat" for Israel.
The UN special envoy to Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, condemned the attack, saying it marked an "extremely worrying escalation" in the conflict.
Meanwhile, the US government has insisted it had no involvement in the explosions and does not know who was responsible. Washington has called for a diplomatic solution to the tensions between Israel and Lebanon, while warning Iran, and its allies such as Hezbollah, not to exploit the situation to increase instability in the region.
Although he did not directly comment on the explosions in Lebanon, an Israeli military spokesman said that Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Herzi Halevi, met with senior officers on the evening of September 17 to assess the situation. No policy changes were announced, but the spokesman stressed that “vigilance must be maintained.”
