A wave of exploding pagers in Lebanon and Syria kills at least eight people, including Hezbollah members

BEIRUT — Hundreds of portable pagers exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and parts of Syria on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, including members of the militant Hezbollah group and a girl. The Iranian ambassador was wounded, government and Hezbollah officials said.

Officials blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated long-range attack that wounded more than 2,700 people at a time of rising tensions along the Lebanese border. The Israeli military declined to comment.

A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the new brand of hand pagers used by the group first heated up and then exploded, killing at least two of its members and wounding others.

Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad said at least eight people were killed and 2,750 injured, 200 of them seriously.

The Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that the country's ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, suffered superficial injuries from an exploding pager and was being treated in a hospital.

Photos and videos from Beirut's southern suburbs circulated on social networks and local media showing people lying on the sidewalk with wounds on their hands or near their pockets.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had previously warned members of the group not to carry mobile phones because Israel could use them to track their movements and carry out targeted attacks.

The Lebanese Health Ministry asked all hospitals to be on alert and to accept emergency patients. People with pagers should stay away from hospitals. The ministry also asked health workers to avoid using wireless devices.

AP photographers at hospitals in the region reported that emergency rooms were overflowing with patients, many of whom had injuries to their limbs and some were in serious condition.

The state news agency reported that hospitals in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and the southern suburbs of Beirut – all areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence – had called on the public to donate all types of blood.

The news agency reported that in Beirut's southern suburbs and other areas, “the portable pager system was blown up using the latest technology and dozens of injuries were reported.”

The Hezbollah official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the explosions were the result of a “security operation targeting the explosive devices.”

“The enemy (Israel) is behind this security incident,” the official said, without elaborating. He added that the new pagers carried by Hezbollah members contained lithium batteries that apparently exploded.

If overheated, lithium batteries can smoke, melt, and even catch fire. Rechargeable lithium batteries are used in consumer products from cell phones and laptops to electric cars. Lithium battery fires can reach temperatures of up to 590°C (1,100°F).

The incident came at a time of rising tensions between Lebanon and Israel. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been fighting almost daily for more than 11 months amid the war between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas in Gaza.

The clashes left hundreds dead in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, and forced tens of thousands on both sides of the border to flee their homes. On Tuesday, Israel said it was now an official war aim to stop Hezbollah attacks in the north so residents could return to their homes.

Israel has killed Hamas fighters with explosive-laced cell phones in the past and is widely believed to be behind the Stuxnet computer virus that attacked Iran's nuclear program in 2010.

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Abby Sewell and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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