Casualties Rise From Exploding Hezbollah Pagers, US Says It Had No Advance Notice Of Coordinated Attack In Lebanon

Pagers carried by thousands of Hezbollah operatives exploded at about the same time Tuesday afternoon in what appeared to be a coordinated attack.

U.S. officials said they were unaware ahead of the attack on Hezbollah. Both the militant group and the Lebanese government are blaming Israel.

Lebanese authorities are reporting 2,750 injuries and at least nine deaths, including one child. Members of Hezbollah and its military units were among those injured and killed.

According to U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, the U.S. “was not aware of this incident in advance.” See below.

The pagers were from a shipment that Hezbollah operatives received in recent days, the Wall Street Journal reported. Malware might have caused the devices to heat up and explode, the Journal said, citing an unnamed Hezbollah official.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group blamed “Israeli aggression” and promised “fair punishment” for the blasts.

The operation was approved earlier this week during meetings between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his cabinet and security services, Axios reported, citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the situation.

Israeli officials are on alert for retaliation by Hezbollah and know a further escalation in the conflict could occur, the Axios report said.

See Also: US And Allies Worried Amid Reports Of Russia Potentially Sharing Nuclear Secrets With Iran

Why It Matters: The explosions are the latest development in what has been an ongoing cross-border conflict between the Israeli military and Iran-backed Hezbollah since the start of the Gaza war last October.

Videos circulating on social media show the aftermath of the explosions, with Hezbollah members suffering critical injuries, including missing limbs.

Stocks To Watch: After news of the incident broke, the United States Oil Fund USO was trading over 1.2% higher at last check Tuesday.

The Israeli shekel dropped last month amid escalating tensions with Iran and Hezbollah.

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