Hezbollah pager explosions latest: Israel braces for retaliation as company says devices were made in Europe

Israel is bracing for a response from Hezbollah after a coordinated attack involving hundreds of pager explosions killed at least nine people and injured some 3,000 others across Lebanon and Syria.

An investigation has been launched to determine the precise causes of the blasts, while one Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the detonation was the “biggest security breach” the group had been subjected to in nearly a year of war with Israel .

The company that owns the brand of pagers used in the attack, Gold Apollo, has denied producing the model in question, saying they were manufactured and distributed by another firm in Europe.

“The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it,” said founder Hsu Ching-Kuang.

Lebanese security sources told Reuters the devices were modified “at the production level”.

The blasts occurred in southern Beirut and other Lebanese towns, leaving over 200 critically injured, including an eight-year-old girl. Emergency services deployed 50 ambulances and 300 medical workers.

The Israeli military has declined to comment.