At least nine dead and thousands injured from exploding pagers in Lebanon, officials say
Israel appears to have carried out a highly coordinated attack on the militant group Hezbollah inside Lebanon, as ITV News' Senior International Correspondent John Irvine reports
At least nine people have been killed - including members of the militant group Hezbollah - and more than 2,700 injured after hundreds of pagers exploded in Lebanon, according to officials.
Hezbollah has said it holds Israel "fully responsible" for Tuesday's attack.
"This criminal and treacherous enemy will definitely receive a fair punishment for this sinful assault, both in ways that are expected and unexpected," the group said in a statement.
The Israeli military did not respond when approached for comment.
Lebanon's health minister, Firas Abiad, said at least nine people - including an eight-year-old girl - were killed and 2,750 injured - 200 of them critically.
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Iranian state news reported that its ambassador to Lebanon was among those injured.
The United States "was not aware of the incident in advance", according to a State Department spokesperson.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed people in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, with wounds to their hands and lower bodies.
One video shared online appears to show an explosion injuring a man as he shopped at a supermarket.
An apparent explosion can be seen coming from the man's right pocket, ripping apart a bag he was carrying and sending him to the floor injured.
Nearby shoppers can also be seen running for cover after the explosion.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group's members not to carry pagers - communications devices which receive and display voice messages.
He said they could be used by Israel to track their movements and carry out targeted strikes.
Lebanon's Health Ministry alerted all hospitals to take in emergency patients, and for people who own pagers to get away from them. It also asked health workers to avoid using wireless devices.
A separate Hezbollah official said members were given new pagers which the group had not previously used.
He added they contained lithium batteries, which, when overheated, can smoke, melt and, on occasion, catch fire.
Rechargeable lithium batteries - which, when set alight, can burn up to 590C - are used in a range of products, including mobile phones, laptops and electric cars.
Experts, including Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and explosive ordnance disposal expert, have said videos of the explosions suggest a small explosive charge had been placed into the pagers.
"It seems very likely that all of these encrypted pagers were modified prior to Hezbollah purchasing them, which implies a very successful Mossad [Israel's foreign intelligence agency] operation," Mr Moorhouse said.
The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel.
Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of war between Israel and the proscribed terror group 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 halting Hezbollah's attacks in the north to allow residents to return to their homes is now an official war goal.
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