Hundreds of people were wounded in Lebanon on Tuesday when telecommunications devices exploded in a suspected coordinated attack, hospital sources in Beirut's southern suburbs told dpa.
Some 300 people are being treated at the hospital, according to the sources.
It was initially unclear whether anyone had been killed.
The exact cause of the explosions was also unclear.
Sources from Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah said numerous members have been injured, including fighters of the Radwan Force, an elite unit within the group.
High-ranking Hezbollah representatives are also among the injured, a source close to the militia said.
No official figures on the number of victims were initially available.
The affected devices are believed to be hand-held pagers.
Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also reportedly injured in the explosion of a pager.
Footage from surveillance cameras showed smaller explosions at supermarkets, with people seen lying on the floor afterwards.
The detonations occurred in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, as well as in the south of the country.
Similar incidents were also reported from Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that several members of Hezbollah were injured by exploding communication devices near the capital Damascus.
Syrian security sources reported that a pager exploded in a car in Damascus.
Eyewitnesses reported of panic in the streets of Beirut. Numerous ambulances were on duty.
The Lebanese Health Ministry called on all hospitals to be on high alert and urged people not to use radio equipment.
The ministry also called on the population to donate blood.
Hezbollah is a key ally of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Unconfirmed reports were circulating that Israel had targeted communications devices used by Hezbollah and was behind the detonations.
The Israeli army has so far not commented on the events in Lebanon.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war almost a year ago, confrontations have occurred almost daily in the border area between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, with deaths recorded on both sides as a result of the shelling, mostly members of Hezbollah.
According to Israeli sources, three Hezbollah fighters were killed on Tuesday in an attack on a location in southern Lebanon. The pro-Iranian Shiite militia says it is acting out of solidarity with the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.
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