The devices were used by the group to communicate after its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, warned members not to carry cellphones.
ADVERTISEMENTAt least eight have died and thousands were wounded in Beirut’s suburbs and other parts of Lebanon after their pagers exploded on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry as reported by several international outlets.
Photos and videos circulating on social media showed people lying on the pavement with injuries to their torso and extremities.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry called on all hospitals to be on alert to take in emergency patients and advised people to distance themselves from pagers they may own.
It added that health workers should avoid using wireless devices.
Earlier on Tuesday, a Hezbollah official told AP that at least 150 people, including members of the group, were wounded in different parts of Lebanon when the pagers they were carrying detonated.
The official said the explosions were a result of an Israeli “security operation” that allegedly targeted the devices. The Israeli military has declined to comment on the accusation.
The Hezbollah official said that the pagers — a seldom-used and outdated communication device meant to notify its user via a brief message — contained lithium batteries, which are often found in consumer products from mobile phones to electric cars. They can catch fire when overheated.
The state-run National News Agency said hospitals in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs — areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence — had called on people to donate blood of all types.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group’s members not to carry mobile phones, saying that they could be used by Israel to track their movements and to carry out targeted strikes.
The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The clashes have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.
On Tuesday, Israel declared that it has made an objective of halting Hezbollah’s attacks in the north to allow Israeli residents in the area to return to their homes.
