Simultaneous Pager Explosions Across Lebanon Leave Over 1,000 Hezbollah Militants Wounded

Hezbollah members were seriously wounded across Lebanon Tuesday after their encrypted communication devices exploded simultaneously.

Initial reports estimate over 1,000 wounded and at least three killed, marking a severe blow to the Iran-backed terrorist group, according to Reuters. The group has reportedly instructed all militants to discard their pagers immediately.

The pagers that exploded were obtained in recent months by Hezbollah, Reuters reported, citing three unnamed security sources.

The explosions Tuesday come against a backdrop of escalating cross-border conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Videos circulating on social media platform X show the aftermath of the explosions, with Hezbollah members suffering severe injuries, including blown-off limbs.

"We have seen pictures from across Lebanon of men lying on the floor wounded, bleeding. We have seen reports of hospitals asking for blood," a Hezbollah spokesperson told Al-Jazeera on condition of anonymity.

Iran’s state-run Mehr news agency said Mojtaba Amani, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, was injured in the incident when his pager exploded.

This highlights the extensive reach of the attack, affecting not only Hezbollah’s military operatives but also its key political allies.

The Israeli Defense Forces have yet to provide a response.

In July, Israel claimed responsibility for killing a top Hezbollah commander in an airstrike in Beirut.

Earlier this month, the IDF reported the killing of Mohammed Qassem Al-Shaer, a commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, in a strike in Lebanon’s western Beqaa district.

Market Reaction: Limited Impact Despite Escalating Tensions

Despite the heightened tensions in the Middle East, financial markets have shown limited reaction to the incident. Oil prices, as tracked by the United States Oil Fund USO, traded 0.7% higher on Tuesday, rising only marginally in the aftermath of the news.

The Israeli shekel remained broadly steady against the dollar, indicating a muted response from currency markets.

Investors appear to be adopting a wait-and-see approach as the full implications of this unprecedented attack on Hezbollah unfold.

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