Lebanon was rocked by a series of explosions caused by pagers used by the armed group Hezbollah on Tuesday afternoon.
The blasts, which began around 15:45 local time in Beirut and other areas, killed at least nine people and injured 2,8000.
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A Hezbollah official, speaking anonymously, identified one of the deceased as Mahdi Ammar, the son of a Hezbollah member in the Lebanese parliament.
Hezbollah has placed full blame on Israel for what they describe as a “criminal aggression” that targeted civilians.
Iranian state-run IRNA news agency reported that Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, sustained minor injuries from an exploding pager and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.
Civil Defence responders were seen carrying a wounded man to al-Zahraa Hospital in Beirut after his handheld pager exploded on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
According to The New York Times, the pagers were ordered from Taiwan and tampered with before they reached Lebanon.
CCTV footage captured some of the blasts occurring from individuals’ pockets, with the devices exploding almost simultaneously.
Rescue teams have been dispatched across Lebanon and hospitals are all hands on deck to treat as thousands of wounded people stream in.
Flights into Israel and other parts of the Middle East have been suspended following the attack.
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