Hundreds of Hezbollah members in Lebanon were hurt on Tuesday when their pagers suddenly exploded, according to multiple reports.
Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces said people were injured after wireless communications devices exploded in several regions across the country. It requested that drivers clear the roads so emergency vehicles could provide first aid and transport the wounded to hospitals.
A security source told Reuters that Hezbollah fighters and medics were injured by the blasts. An official of the Iran-backed militant group described it as their “biggest security breach” of the past year. The exact number of injured is unknown.
Some reports suggested that Israel hacked the personal pagers, which Hezbollah uses to communicate, and caused them to explode. The country has not claimed responsibility for doing so.
The incident occurred shortly after Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said it foiled Hezbollah’s attempt to kill a former high-ranking Israeli official with a remotely detonated explosive device. It is unclear if the events are related.
The detonation of the pagers also came just hours after Israel indicated that it may increase military pressure on Hezbollah so people who have been displaced by fighting between the two sides can return home.
“The Security Cabinet has updated the objectives of the war to include the following: Returning the residents of the north securely to their homes,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement early Tuesday morning local time.
“Israel will continue to act to implement this objective,” it added.
Tens of thousands of people in northern Israel and southern Lebanon have been displaced by fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.
The two bitter enemies have traded constant strikes against each other since Hamas staged its brutal October 7 massacre, triggering a wider regional conflict. However, despite fears that the situation would escalate into a full-scale war, Israel and Hezbollah have avoided an all-out confrontation.