A string of mysterious explosions have rocked Lebanon, injuring hundreds of people, including dozens of members of the militant group Hezbollah.
The blasts targeted pagers used by Hezbollah members, according to a Lebanese security source, who spoke to CNN. The source did not specify who was behind the attack.
The explosions occurred in several areas, including the southern suburbs of Beirut and the central Beqaa valley, where “hacked” pager devices detonated in the towns of Ali Al-Nahri and Riyaq. These locations are known Hezbollah strongholds.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health has urged citizens to discard their pagers and warned hospitals to be on high alert.
Health workers across Lebanon have been asked to report urgently to work due to the large number of injured people being transferred to hospitals.
Officials have also called for people to donate blood in anticipation of increased need.
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The Israeli military, which has engaged in tit-for-tat strikes with Hezbollah since the start of the war in Gaza last October, has declined to comment on the incident.
Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among those injured in Beirut, according to semi-official Iranian media outlet Mehr News.
Videos circulating on social media and news agencies show explosions in various locations that appear to be powerful.
In one CCTV video, a man can be seen picking out fruit in a supermarket when an explosion tears his bag to shreds.
Bystanders can be seen running away as they hear the explosion, while the man drops to the ground clutching his lower abdomen.
After several seconds, he can be heard groaning in pain.
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