Nine people have been killed and some 2,800 injured in suspected coordinated explosions of hand-held telecommunications devices across Lebanon, the Health Ministry in Beirut said on Tuesday evening.
A child was among those killed when pagers in several Lebanese regions exploded earlier on Tuesday, Health Minister Firas Abiad said during a press conference in Beirut.
Some 200 people are in critical condition, he said.
The Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah blamed Israel for the detonations, threatening retaliation.
Most of the victims suffered injuries to the hand, while some were also injured in the face, abdomen and the eyes, according to the health minister.
Numerous Hezbollah fighters are said to be among the injured, including from the Radwan Force, an elite unit within the group.
A source close to Hezbollah said high-ranking Hezbollah representatives have also been injured.
Condemnation of explosions, vows of retaliation
In a statement on Tuesday evening, Hezbollah said that after having examined all "available information about the attack that took place this afternoon, [it holds] the Israeli enemy fully responsible."
"This treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly receive just retribution for this sinful aggression," the group wrote on Telegram.
The Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, which is allied with Hezbollah, also "strongly condemned the terrorist Zionist aggression that targeted Lebanese citizens by detonating communications devices in various areas of Lebanese territory ... without distinguishing between resistance fighters and civilians ... in a crime that defies all laws and customs."
"We hold the occupation government [Israel] fully responsible," the Hamas statement said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called it a "terrorist act" and blamed Israel.
In a conversation with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib, Iran's top diplomat expressed his condolences and offered support, the Foreign Ministry in Tehran said.
Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also reportedly injured in the explosion of a pager. Hezbollah is a key ally of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In a separate telephone conversation, Araghchi asked about the wife of the injured ambassador and about his condition.
Meanwhile, the United Nations warned of the risk of an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. "These developments are extremely concerning, especially given that this is taking place within a context that is extremely volatile," spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in New York.
The UN is monitoring the situation, he said. "I think we cannot underscore enough the risks of escalation in Lebanon and in the region," Dujarric added.
Syria also hit
The explosions occurred in several regions across Lebanon, mostly in Hezbollah-controlled areas. Reports of similar incidents also came from neighbouring Syria.
The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based war monitor, said some 14 Hezbollah members were wounded in Syria when their pagers exploded.
Syria strongly condemned "this terrorist aggression and this new bloody crime committed by Israel against civilians in Lebanon, which reflects Israel's desire to expand the scope of the war and its thirst to shed more blood."
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.
Israel prepares for expected retaliation
Israeli broadcaster Kan reported that the military and the Defence Ministry were proceeding on the assumption that Hezbollah would respond with military action against Israel, with consultations reportedly taking place on this matter at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the pagers came from a consignment that Hezbollah had only recently received. Hundreds of fighters possessed such devices, the newspaper reported, citing an unnamed Hezbollah representative.
The representative said he suspects that the devices were infected with malware that caused them to overheat and explode. Experts cited by Israeli media assumed that the pagers were a very important means of communication for the militia.
Panic breaks out
Eyewitnesses reported of panic in the streets of Beirut. Numerous ambulances were on duty.
Footage from surveillance cameras showed smaller explosions at supermarkets in Lebanon, with people seen lying on the floor afterwards.
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.
Schools and universities to close in protest
The Lebanese minister of education called for the closure of all public and private schools, including universities on Wednesday.
Minister Abbas al-Halabi said schools and universities across Lebanon will close to condemn "the criminal act committed by the Israeli enemy against Lebanese citizens."
Background
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 Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
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