Eight killed, 2,750 injured after explosions across Lebanon

Eight people have been killed and some 2,750 injured in suspected coordinated explosions of hand-held telecommunications devices across Lebanon, Health Minister Firas Abiad said during a press conference in Beirut on Tuesday evening.

Abiad said a child was among those killed when pagers in numerous Lebanese regions exploded earlier on Tuesday.

Some 200 people are in critical condition, he said.

Most of the victims suffered injuries to the hand, while some were also injured in the face, abdomen and the eyes, according to the minister.

The Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah said its members are among the injured, including fighters of the Radwan Force, an elite unit within the group. A source close to Hezbollah said high-ranking Hezbollah representatives have also been injured.

The group said it was looking into the cause of the detonations.

Unconfirmed reports were circulating that Israel had targeted communications devices used by Hezbollah and was behind the detonations.

The Israeli army initially did not comment on the events in Lebanon.

Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also reportedly injured in the explosion of a pager.

The detonations occurred in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, as well as in the south of the country. Similar reports also came from neighbouring Syria.