9 killed, 2,800+ wounded when Hezbollah members' pagers explode across Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon , Sept. 17 (UPI) -- At least nine people were killed and some 2,800 others were injured Tuesday when the pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon in the most serious security breach targeting the Iran-backed militant group, according to Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad.

Abiad said during a press conference that of the 2,750 wounded, 200 were in critical condition and undergoing surgery. He said the wounded were taken to 100 hospitals, and most suffered injuries of the eyes and hands.

A Hezbollah statement said pagers used by a number of employees in the group's various units and institutions exploded at 3:30 p.m. local time and led to the killing of a girl and two "[Hezbollah] brothers" and the injury of a large number of other people.

The statement, which described the explosions as "mysterious," said the group's agencies "are currently conducting a wide-ranging security and scientific investigation to determine the reasons that led to these simultaneous explosions."

In a second statement, Hezbollah held "the Israeli enemy" the full responsibility for "this criminal aggression, vowing that "it will certainly receive its just punishment."

Israel coordinated the pager attacks by affixing small explosives inside the Gold Apollo brand pagers that are made in Taiwan, CNN reported .

Hezbollah recently bought the pagers, and Israeli operatives embedded a switch to detonate the small explosives inside each, the New York Times reported .

Israeli officials have not commented on the pager explosions, but Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blame Israel.

Mehdi Ammar, the 40-year-old son of Hezbollah deputy in the parliament Ali Ammar, was among the killed. The sons of two other Hezbollah deputies were injured.

Among the wounded was the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, who escaped with slight injuries from a pager explosion.

Ammar said the explosions were "a direct Israeli aggression" and that his group "will deal with the [Israeli] enemy in the language that he understands."

Lebanon's Internal Security Forces said the explosions occurred in a number of Lebanon regions, particularly in Beirut's southern suburbs, the stronghold of Hezbollah, and southern Lebanon.

Hospitals in various Lebanese regions went on high alert while ambulances transporting the injured rushed through the city's crowded streets. Urgent appeals for blood donations were made via the social media and television stations.

Civilians were asked to stay home and clear the roads to enable ambulances, medical and nursing crews, and those wishing to donate blood to reach the hospitals quickly.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border attacks since the start of Israel's war on Gaza last October.

Israel has been threatening to expands its attacks on Hezbollah to force the withdrawal of its fighters from the border area and allow the return of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in northern Israel.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry condemned the "Israeli cyber-attack." The ministry described the attack as a "dangerous and deliberate Israeli escalation," which came at a time Israel threatened "to expand the scope of the war" against Lebanon.

It added that it was preparing to file a complaint to the United Nations Security Council.