Lebanon attacks: Hezbollah chief denounces device explosions as 'declaration of war' by 'Israeli enemy' as he concedes pager and walkie-talkie blasts mark 'unprecedented' blow to nation's history

A Sky News journalist was filming live in Beirut when a huge blast echoed throughout the city this afternoon.

International correspondent John Sparks was giving analysis of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's first speech since deadly explosions rocked Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday when a loud explosion interrupted filming.

It was unclear what caused the explosion. Hezbollah has fired rockets into Israel since the attacks earlier this week, which Israel has not claimed responsibility for. Israel said last night it was at the start of a new phase in its war.

A witness in Beirut claimed this afternoon that Israeli jets were carrying out huge sonic booms over the city during Nasrallah's anticipated speech.

The exploding device attacks in the Lebanon are 'utterly despicable and extraordinarily dangerous', the Taoiseach has said.

Simon Harris said the safety of Irish troops currently based in the country on UN missions was an 'absolute priority' for the Government.

There are basic rules around engagement, even in conflict, and at the very core is the idea that you don't send explosive devices in among civilian populations and to watch explosions taking place in supermarkets," he said.

To watch the impact that it's had on civilian populations, on children, on innocent people going about their lives, is utterly despicable and extraordinarily dangerous at a time when the rest of the world is trying to de-escalate the conflict in the Middle East.

Lebanon's Hezbollah chief added Israel will receive 'just punishment' for communications device explosions that killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days.

Israel will face 'tough retribution and just punishment, where it expects it and where it does not,' Hassan Nasrallah said in his first speech since the blasts, adding that he would not give further details of the place, timing or nature of Hezbollah's response.

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah group, said Israel 'crossed all red lines' after exploding pagers and walkie-talkies killed dozens of people and injured thousands more over two days of attacks.

Here's what you need to know following his speech which was televised across Lebanon this afternoon:

• Nasrallah said the 'Israeli enemy' crossed boundaries and red lines with explosions taking place in hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, homes, cars and on the streets
• He said women and children were among those killed as civilians were targeted in what he said were 'war crimes' and a 'declaration of war'
• Hezbollah has formed committees to investigate how this attack over two days that wounded thousands happened and conceded it was an unprecedented blow to Lebanon's history
• He said Lebanon's resistance to the war in Gaza would not stop and vowed Hezbollah would emerge stronger and continue its daily strikes into northern Israel.
• As Nasrallah spoke in a televised speech from an unknown location, Hezbollah and the Israeli military traded new strikes over the border.
• Israeli war planes flew low over Beirut and broke the sound barrier, sending birds flying in panic and people in their houses and offices rushing to open the windows to avoid the glass shattering.

People across Lebanon have been pictured tuning in to Hassan Nasrallah's televised address this afternoon.

The speech comes following two days of attacks which has seen electronic devices explode resulting in dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries.

More quotes here from Nasrallah who insists the attacks will make Hezbollah more 'robust' going forward.

Let the enemy know what happened did not shake our faith, conviction, resolve, preparedness or infrastructure. On the contrary, this turned us more resolved, more robust and more adamant.

If the Israeli’s objective was to separate us from what’s taking place in Gaza, it failed.

by Elena Salvoni

Hezbollah's leader has condemned Israel following the pager blasts, saying 'all red lines have been crossed by the enemy' and that the deadly attacks 'deserve a response'.

Sonic booms from Israeli jets were heard over Beirut at the same time as Hassan Nasrallah was making his speech.

A huge booming sound was heard on live TV, with journalists on the ground reporting that the loud sound was followed by screams, as panicked Lebanese residents brace for further escalation.

Read more here:

Nasrallah has insisted Hezbollah will not stop in its support for Gaza.

In the name of all those who’ve lost martyrs, who were injured, in the name of all those who’ve fought in the name of Gaza, we tell Netanyahu and Gallant, to the enemy, that the Lebanese front will not stop before the aggression in Gaza stops," he says.

The resistance in Lebanon will not stop supporting the people of Gaza and the West Bank.

Israeli Jets can be heard above Beirut during Nasrallah's address following confirmation from the IDF it is launching new attacks against Hezbollah

Nasrallah claims 4,000 pagers were targeted in an attack designed to kill thousands 'in minutes'

He adds Wednesday's walkie-talkie attack was intended to kill around a thousand more.

This is sheer terrorism. We'll call them Tuesday's massacre and Wednesday's massacre. These are war crimes or at least declaration of war,

God is merciful and prevented more deaths and injuries. A number of pagers were out of service or switched off. Some were not allocated and still in storage.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah concedes the group suffered a 'major and unprecedented' blow following the attacks in Lebanon.

He adds that Hezbollah will investigate the companies involved in manufacturing and selling the pagers that exploded on Tuesday.

There is no doubt that we have been subjected to a major security and military blow that is unprecedented in the history of the resistance and unprecedented in the history of Lebanon.

This type of killing, targeting and crime may be unprecedented in the world.

Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, has claimed the 'Israeli enemy' has 'crossed all red lines' following two days of attacks in Lebanon.

Nasrallah said the explosions happened in pharmacies, hospitals, markets, shops, houses, cars and in the streets.

He adds the civilian population including women and children were targeted in what he described as an 'act of war'.

Hassan Nasrallah has started his televised address.

We will bring you the contents of his speech as and when we can.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has claimed it is attacking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon aftter turning the southern part of the country into a 'war zone'.

The statement comes ahead of an expected televised address by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The IDF tweeted:

The IDF is now attacking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon to damage and destroy the organization's terrorist capabilities and military infrastructure. The terrorist organization Hezbollah turned southern Lebanon into a war zone, and for decades armed the homes of the citizens with weapons, dug tunnels under them and used them as human shields

by Elena Salvoni

Lebanese civilians are living in terror after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah fighters exploded, with fears the 'technological war' could be a precursor to a full-scale conflict.

Thousands were left with horrific injuries to their eyes, faces and hands, while dozens lost their lives in the two waves of clandestine attacks, which targeted Hezbollah fighters' communication equipment but also led to civilian casualties.

Israel is widely believed to have orchestrated the blasts, and while it has not claimed responsibility, Hezbollah and its backers Iran have condemned their arch-foe for carrying out 'mass murder' and have vowed to exact revenge.

Read more here:

German airline group Lufthansa has said it is extending a suspension of flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran and Beirut, as regional tensions soared following deadly explosions in Lebanon

Flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran will be cancelled until September 24, while routes to Beirut are suspended until October 26.

Affected passengers can rebook for free or ask for a refund.

The Lufthansa group, whose carriers also include SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, has repeatedly modified its flight schedule in recent months due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, as have other airlines.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has called on the UN Security Council to 'take a firm stance' against Israel ahead of a meeting tomorrow.

Mr Mikati called on the UN to oppose 'Israeli aggression on Lebanon and the technological war it is waging'.

The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on the explosions in Lebanon on Friday amid widespread concern over the use of booby-traps.

These pictures show Hezbollah members attending the funeral of two members killed on Wednesday when walkie-talkie devices exploded across Lebanon.

The funeral procession took place today in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

An Israeli government spokesman has insisted the country is prepared for 'defence and attack' when questioned whether it will escalate conflict with Hezbollah.

Spokesperson David Mencer told the news conference:

The current situation is simply not sustainable. The Prime Minister has said that the change in the balance of forces on our northern border is needed and necessary.

Israel is responding with force to this aggression by Hezbollah. We will use all means necessary to restore security to our northern border, and to safely return our citizens to their homes.We will respond with force to this unprovoked aggression from Hezbollah.

The Middle East has been left on the brink of conflict after detonating pagers, walkie-talkies and solar panels left Hezbollah reeling in a wave of surprise attacks from Israel's spy agency Mossad.

The attacks amount to the biggest security breach in Hezbollah's history, with the group and its backers Iran condemning Israel and labelling it 'mass murder'.

And last night Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant declared the start of a 'new phase' of war in the Middle East, though it did not making any official comment about the explosions.

But as the shadow-war that has crippled Lebanon played out, questions are still yet to be answered as the globe was thrown into chaos as they reacted to the unprecedented piece of subterfuge.

Read more to discover the key questions yet to be answered:

Lebanon's health minister says 25 people were killed and more than 600 wounded during the second day of exploding device attacks that were blamed on Israel.

Firass Abiad told reporters on Thursday that the injuries were more severe in Wednesday's attack, since the walkie-talkies that exploded then were bigger than the pagers used a day earlier.

Of the 608 people wounded on Wednesday, 61 remain in intensive care, Abiad said, adding that 141 surgeries were performed.

The number of dead in the first day of attacks, on Tuesday, remained 12, the minister said, noting that more than 1,300 people suffered injuries ranging from mid-level to severe. Abiad said 226 people wounded on Tuesday remain in intensive care and 955 operations have been performed.

The latest death toll raises the number of people killed by exploding devices to 37 since Tuesday, while the number of injured is above 3,000.

by Nick Craven in Budapest

The Israeli secret service didn't just tamper with the deadly Hezbollah pagers -- they made them from scratch, having set up a complex web of shell companies across Europe, it was claimed today.

Initially it was suspected that Mossad had managed to intercept and plant tiny bombs in a shipment of the pagers headed for the Iranian-backed terror group in Lebanon after thousands of people were injured and dozens killed.

But now it appears that the Israelis set up front companies across Europe to manufacture the pagers themselves, embedding small amounts of PETN explosive inside, ready to be detonated by a coded message.

Read more here:

The Lebanese Army has said it is detonating 'suspicious pagers and communication devices' in the wake of two days of attacks.

It has also urged the public to report any objects they are unsure of as soldiers carry out controlled explosions.

In a tweet posted on X, the army said:

Specialised army units are detonating suspicious pagers and communication devices in different areas, so citizens are urged to stay away from explosion sites, report any suspicious device or object and not approach it.

Lebanon's Health Minister Firass Abiad said 37 people were killed and more than 3,500 wounded in a new toll after hand-held devices used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon, in attacks blamed on Israel.

Abiad said 25 people were killed on Wednesday and 12 on Tuesday, updating an earlier toll of 32 dead overall.

Lebanon's health minister, Firass Abiad, said said people will have to 'think twice' before using technology after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies exploded in the past two days.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Abiad said he believes the wave of blasts constitute a war crime and showed Israel's intent is not to reach a 'diplomatic situation' amid fears of an all-out war.

It comes amid reports people in Lebanon are scared to use their phones and laptops over fears they could become the next devices to blow up.

Mr Abiad said the 'weaponisation' of technology was an important issue for the world to confront, adding people must 'think twice' before using it.

He said:

The whole world could see that these attacks occurred in markets.These were not people who were at the battleground fighting. They were in civilian areas with their families.”

The two attacks in the last day, show that their intent (Israel) is not towards a diplomatic solution. What I know is the position of my government is clear. From day one, we believe that Lebanon does not want war.

We can now show you pictures of smoke billowing from the scenes of an Israel airstrikes in southern Lebanon overnight.

Israel’s military has claimed that airstrikes have targeted Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure” in six areas of southern Lebanon during the cross-border attacks.

Images show smoke rising over the villages of Khiam and al-Taybeh near the border.

A photograph has emerged of Israeli military evacuating injured people by helicopter after an anti-tank missile was fired into Israel from Lebanon.

According to Israeli media reports, at least eight people were wounded by the missile this morning.

*This article is available to Mail + subscribers only*

by David Patrikarakos and Sabrina Miller

The scene is a hospital ward in Beirut. The atmosphere is one of devastation and chaos. Men lie on beds or slump in wheelchairs, their clothes spattered with blood. One rolls onto his side: the end of his hand is ragged, torn almost like paper. Stumps dangle where his ­fingers once were.

It’s just one of several videos from Lebanon sent to me by Middle Eastern sources over the last 24 hours. I’m watching the visceral aftermath of one of the most audacious intelligence operations in history, but I’m also watching something else – a clear message: don’t mess with the state of Israel. The country’s security forces have a reputation of carrying out operations with unparalleled ruthlessness and ­efficacy. Over the past 24 hours, it seems they may have surpassed themselves.

On Tuesday afternoon, explosions from the pagers of Hezbollah fighters rippled across Beirut. What happened next was an extraordinary sight – terrorists collapsing while browsing fresh produce; keeling over in the street as their trouser pockets exploded; imploding into a heap as they paid at tills.

Read more here:

Bulgaria will investigate a company linked to the sale of pagers to Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah that exploded this week in a coordinated attack, the state security agency said on Thursday.

Bulgaria's state security agency, DANS, said in a statement that it is working with the interior ministry to probe the role of a company registered in Bulgaria, without naming it.

Bulgarian media reports allege that a Sofia-based company called Norta Global Ltd had facilitated the sale of the pagers, which exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday, killing 11 people and wounding 4,000.

The company is yet to comment on reports.

Lebanon is reeling after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah fighters exploded during two days of carnage, leaving thousands with horrific injuries, dozens dead, and many now terrified of a repeat attack.

Israel has been accused of orchestrating the blasts, and while it has not claimed responsibility, Hezbollah and its backers Iran have condemned their arch-foe for carrying out 'mass murder' and have vowed to exact revenge.

The chief of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, is set to make an address this afternoon, with Lebanese civilians holding their breath over how the hardline militia will retaliate and how Israel will respond in turn.

Here's what you need to know this morning:

• An Israeli citizen was arrested after allegedly accepting money from Iran to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
• Pagers and walkie-talkies have now been banned from flights operating at Beirut's Rafic Hariri Airport
• Israeli jets and artillery hit multiple targets in southern Lebanon overnight, Israel's military said on Thursday, amid spiralling tensions
• A Japanese company that makes radios identified in the walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon has said it is 'not possible' to confirm whether they had shipped the devices
• The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on the explosions in Lebanon on Friday afternoon amid widespread concern over the use of booby-traps

Turkey has become the latest country to criticise Israel following the explosions in Lebanon.

The nation has today accused Israel of seeking to expand the war in Gaza to Lebanon with the 'alarming' wave of deadly explosions that swept though Hezbollah strongholds.

'The escalation in the region is alarming,' foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on state-run TRT television.

We see Israel mounting its attacks towards Lebanon step by step.

The blasts have killed 32 people in two days, including two children, wounding more than 3,000 others, according to Lebanese health ministry figures.

The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on the explosions in Lebanon on Friday afternoon amid widespread concern over the use of booby-traps.

Tasked with ensuring international peace and security, the council is meeting at the request of Algeria, the Arab representative on the powerful 15-member body.

It comes amid growing concerns over the use of booby-traps because of the danger to civilians.

Mary Ellen O'Connell, a professor of law and international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said booby-traps are banned under international law.

Weaponizing an object used by civilians is strictly prohibited.

The UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, called for an independent investigation into the mass explosions, saying: 'The fear and terror unleashed is profound.'

While the pagers were used by Hezbollah members, there is no guarantee someone else may hold the device upon detonation.

Also, many of the casualties were not Hezbollah fighters, but members of the group's extensive civilian operations mainly serving Lebanon's Shiite community. At least two health workers were among those killed on Tuesday.

Hezbollah has been left reeling by a spate of shocking explosions in the past two days that killed at least 32 people and wounded thousands across Lebanon and Syria when their communications equipment detonated without warning.

The coordinated attacks, unprecedented in scope and scale, appear to be the work of Israel's Mossad spy agency and have ushered in a new era of psychological warfare.

Though he did not reference the exploding devices directly, Israel's hawkish defence minister Yoav Gallant declared yesterday: 'We are at the start of a new phase in the war' and praised the work of Israel's army and security agencies, saying 'the results are very impressive'.

Read more here:

Big story from Israel this morning...

An Israeli citizen was arrested after allegedly accepting money from Iran to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it has been revealed.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar announced today that Tehran was behind a plot to kill senior officials in Israel following the assassination of Hamas' political chief Ismail Haniyeh in late July.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other top Israeli officials were also named as Iranian targets claimed to have been uncovered by Israeli intelligence.

Read our story here:

Pagers and walkie-talkies have now been banned from flights operating at Beirut's Rafic Hariri Airport, according to state media.

Lebanon's National News Agency is reporting passengers have been told they can no longer carry the devices in their carry-on luggage and they will be confiscated if discovered.

Rafic Hariri Airport is the only commercial airport in Lebanon and was named after the country's former prime minister who was assassinated in 2005.

by James Reynolds

The world was still asking how pagers belonging to Hezbollah could have been fixed with explosives and detonated when radios began to explode yesterday afternoon.

As hospitals in Lebanon wrestled to limit the casualties from thousands of explosions across the country on Tuesday, horror erupted for a second time within 24 hours.

Video showed how walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded suddenly around 3pm, killing at least 20 and wounding more than 450 in a deadly second bout.

Read more here and watch the footage:

These photographs captured yesterday illustrate the scale of destruction across Lebanon and fires broke out in cars and homes when thousands of walkie-talkie radios blew up.

Solar panels also exploded inside houses. The chaos comes just a day after pagers exploded across Lebanon in an apparent attack on Hezbollah's communications network.

A Japanese company that makes radios identified in the walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon has said it is 'not possible' to confirm whether they had shipped the devices.

Icom, which manufactures the IC-V82 is a handheld radio, released a statement after a series of explosions on Wednesday involving the devices which killed 20 people and injured hundreds more.

The company said:

The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, it has not been shipped from our company.

The production of the batteries needed to operate the main unit has also been discontinued, and a hologram seal to distinguish counterfeit products was not attached, so it is not possible to confirm whether the product shipped from our company.

It added that products for overseas markets are sold exclusively through its authorised distributors, and that its export programme is based on Japanese security trade control regulations.

This article is available only to Mail + subscribers

by Natalie Lisbona and Andy Jehring

Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the world’s most controversial elected leaders – a patriot to his supporters and a villain to his enemies.

Since Hamas launched its barbaric terrorist attack on October 7 last year, killing perhaps 1,200 people and seizing some 255 hostages in the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust, ‘Bibi’ has faced widespread criticism at home and abroad for the unflinching nature of his response – even as Israel fights an existential battle for its own survival.

Some critics have accused him of committing ‘genocide’ in the Gaza Strip, following the terror group’s claims that 40,000 Palestinians have been killed during the IDF’s operations there.

Read more here:

*Warning - the following contains graphic details*

Eyewitnesses have recounted how hospitals across the Lebanese capital Beirut were filled with patients suffering traumatic injuries following the explosions to pagers and walkie-talkies this week.

Journalist Sally Abou Al Joud told the BBC she saw people 'covered in blood' as ambulances arrived to drop-off casualties who had horrific facial injuries.

We’re talking about hands injured, severely injured fingers torn, I’ve heard some doctors say we need to perform amputation surgeries to remove hands, [and] ... they need to perform surgeries for eyes to remove them.

Meanwhile, a doctor has told the BBC the scenes following the pager attacks were 'something we never had seen before'

Dr Nour El Osta, from the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Beirut, said:

It was a normal day at the beginning of the day, until it wasn’t anymore," she told me. It unfortunately reminded us of the 4 August 2020 explosion [when more than 200 people were killed in Beirut port] but it was also different.

She said 'we received too many similar injuries... all patients had lost fingers or had eye injuries. It was something we never had seen before.'

Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, will address the nation this afternoon after two-days of attacks on the group's communication networks.

Nasrallah has apparently been unharmed after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members exploded on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hezbollah has already vowed revenge against Israel who it claims orchestrated the sophisticated attacks on the devices.

Nasrallah is scheduled to speak at around 3pm UK time.

Israeli jets and artillery hit multiple targets in southern Lebanon overnight, Israel's military said on Thursday, amid spiralling tensions following the mass attack on Hezbollah communications devices this week.

The military said air strikes hit Hezbollah targets in Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun and Kfarkela in southern Lebanon, as well as a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the area of Khiam.

Israeli media reported that a number of Israeli civilians had been wounded by anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon but there was no official confirmation.

The latest Israeli strikes follow a period of sharply spiralling concern over an escalation of the conflict on the border with southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have been exchanging fire with Iranian-backed Hezbollah for months.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah fired around 20 projectiles into Israel, most of which were intercepted by air defence systems without causing any injuries, the military said.

Around 10 missiles were fired at the Mount Hermon area of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where Israel has key surveillance, espionage and air defence installations.

Israel's defence minister Yoav Gallant (pictured) last night declared a 'new phase' of war had began amid accusations the country is behind a series of detonations to electronic devices in the past two days.

Hopes to reach a diplomatic resolution to the conflict appear desperately faint with the threat of all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah almost palpable.

Israel has signalled a desire to change the status quo after almost a year of cross-border fire with Hezbollah since the Lebanese militant group began attacking on Oct. 8, a day after the war's opening salvo by Hamas.

In recent days, Israel has moved a powerful fighting force up to the northern border, officials have escalated their rhetoric, and the country's security Cabinet has designated the return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel an official war goal.

Israeli media reported Wednesday that the government has not yet decided whether to launch a major offensive in Lebanon.

Much, it seems, will depend on Hezbollah's response. The group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, is expected to deliver a major speech on Thursday.

by Hassan Harfoush

Thousands of walkie-talkies, solar panels and fingerprint recognition devices used by Hezbollah fighters have detonated across Lebanon in the past two days, killing 14 and wounding hundreds of people including mourners at a funeral.

The second wave of carnage hit a day after thousands of exploding pagers used by the group left almost 3,000 people injured and a dozen dead, including civilians and children.

Security sources confirmed that hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, at around the same time as compromised pagers. Lebanese media has also reported that home solar energy systems have blown up in several areas of Beirut.

Read more here:

We will today resume our live coverage following two attacks in Lebanon in consecutive days.

It comes after communication devices, namely pagers and walkie-talkie radios, belonging to Hezbollah fighters exploded which has resulted in more than 30 deaths and 3,000 injuries.

Sources claim the hand-held devices were compromised by Israeli intelligence experts in a joint operation with the IDF before they were delivered to Lebanon.

Israel is yet to comment on the blasts, but the country's defence minister Yoav Gallant announced yesterday there was 'a new phase in the war'.

We will bring you the latest developments and reaction from throughout the day.

Iran will follow up on an attack targeting its ambassador in Lebanon, the Iranian envoy to the United Nations said in a letter on Wednesday

It added that it "reserves its rights under international law to take required measures deemed necessary to respond"

Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Labour of undermining Israel as a second wave of booby-traps rocked the Middle East.

In an interview with the Mail, Israel's prime minister attacked Sir Keir Starmer's 'misguided' administration.

And he accused the Prime Minister of 'sending a horrible message' to Hamas after the UK Government suspended a raft of arms licences to Israel.

The Jewish State's longest serving leader also slammed looming arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC) as 'preposterous' in his first British newspaper interview since the October 7 attack.

His responses were given days before thousands of Hezbollah fighters were maimed when hand-held pagers exploded in Syria and Lebanon on Tuesday. Yesterday another 14 people were killed and 450 injured when walkie-talkies used by the terror group detonated across Lebanon.

Israel has not yet commented on either attack – although it is widely believed they were orchestrated by the country's spy agency Mossad.

Lebanese health officials have confirmed that the death toll for Wednesday's explosions has risen to 20.

Sky News is reporting that Hezbollah is destroying 'thousands and thousands' of pagers, following Israel's deadly tech attack that left more than two dozen dead and thousand injured over two days.

The broadcaster reported that the proscribed terror group has been left deeply embarrassed by the attacks

A UN official has said the pager blasts in Lebanon were a 'violation of international humanitarian law'.

United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk slammed the attacks as he called for an 'independent, thorough and transparent investigation'.

He continued: 'Simultaneous targeting of thousands of individuals, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowledge as to who was in possession of the targeted devices, their location and their surroundings at the time of the attack, violates international human rights law and, to the extent applicable, international humanitarian law.'

This is the chilling moment the Beirut skyline was darkened by plumes of smoke after thousands of Hezbollah walkie talkies exploded simultaneously.

A dramatic time-lapse video of the city showed large clouds of thick, grey smoke appearing in several different locations with at least one of the blasts taking place near a funeral organised by Hezbollah for three fighters and a child killed yesterday.

Hezbollah's Al Manar TV reported the latest explosions across the city were the deadly result of the hand-held radios detonating -  an incident which has killed nine and injured more than 300, including mourners at today's funeral.

Sources told Lebanese news outlet L'Orient Today that devices were set off inside cars, residential apartments and shops. Motorbike radios and security locks also blew up across Lebanon.

The U.S. remains involved in intensive diplomatic efforts to prevent an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday.

Hand-held radios used by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon's south, in Beirut suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, further stoking tensions with Israel a day after similar explosions by the group's pagers.

Kirby said the U.S. was not involved in the device blasts.

Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson has slammed the Lebanon blasts as a 'heinous act of terrorism'.

Maria Zakharova told RT: 'All the signs are there of an international terrorist attack because it is obvious that in order to gather such a large amount of equipment, it had to be brought in, crossing several borders.

'Obviously, there is an international trail in this and it should be investigated accordingly.

'Now the reaction of the west should be indicative. If the west remains silent, and as always, does not insist on an investigation, does not talk about human rights, does not repeat its rhetoric of many years, which they have used in similar cases when terrorist acts were committed on their territory, then this will be proof of their direct engagement.'

The Lebanon blasts are 'deeply concerning', Downing Street has said.

A Number 10 spokesperson said Keir Starmer is monitoring the issue 'closely'.

They added: 'We are working with our international partners to urge calm and de-escalation at this critical time.'

Lebanon have carried out a controlled explosion on a walkie-talkie following blasts from electronic devices today.

The country's military said they were detonating suspicion items.

One (below) was blown in the car park outside the American University of Beirut Medical Centre - a hospital where many injured by today's blasts are being treated.

Palestinian militant group Hamas has blamed Israel for a new wave of device explosions in Lebanon in which walkie-talkies exploded in Hezbollah strongholds killing 14 people and wounding more than 450.

"We strongly condemn the renewed and ongoing Zionist aggression against the brotherly Lebanese people," Hamas said in a statement, adding that the attack, a day after Hezbollah pagers blew up, killing 12 people and wounding 2,800, "now threatens the security and stability of the region".

Iran's envoy to Lebanon reportedly lost an eye when a pager exploded in his face during a deadly pocket bomb attack which tore through the country.

Thousands of walkie talkies used by Hezbollah fighters detonated across Lebanon today, killing nine and wounding hundreds of people including mourners at a funeral, witnesses and security sources reported.

The second wave of carnage came a day after thousands of exploding pagers used by the group left almost 3,000 people injured and a dozen dead, including civilians and children.

Iranian ambassador Mojtaba Amani lost one of his eyes and seriously injured the other when his pager exploded in the attack, according to The New York Times.

14 people have now been killed and 450 wounded as the death toll from today's walkie-talkie blasts continues to rise, Lebanon's health ministry has said.

The U.N. General Assembly strongly supported a nonbinding Palestinian resolution Wednesday demanding that Israel end its "unlawful presence" in Gaza and the occupied West Bank within a year.

The vote in the 193-member world body was 124-14, with 43 abstentions. Among those in opposition was the United States, Israel's closest ally.

The resolution was adopted as Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza approaches its first anniversary and as violence in the West Bank reaches new highs. Troubled efforts to broker a cease-fire deal in Gaza and are pressing ahead, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken meeting fellow mediators Wednesday in Egypt, even as attacks elsewhere in the region raise fears of escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, called the vote a turning point "in our struggle for freedom and justice."

"It sends a clear message that Israel's occupation must end as soon as possible and that the Palestinian people's right to self-determination must be realized," he said.

Israel's U.N. Ambassador, Danny Danon, slammed the vote as "a shameful decision that backs the Palestinian Authority's diplomatic terrorism."

"Instead of marking the anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre by condemning Hamas and calling for the release of all 101 of the remaining hostages, the General Assembly continues to dance to the music of the Palestinian Authority, which backs the Hamas murderers," Danon said.

In a statement released on social media, Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he will return Israel's northern citizens to their homes.

Amid heightening border tensions, he said: 'I have said it before, we will return to the citizens of the north to their homes in security and that’s exactly what we are going to do.'

And after Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday declared that Israel was expanding its war aims to enable the return of evacuated civilians to their homes in the north of the country, the IDF has today moved additional troops to the border with Lebanon.

Earlier today, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi accused Israel of pushing the Middle East to the brink of a regional war by orchestrating a dangerous escalation on many fronts.

'Hezbollah wants to avoid an all-out war. It still wants to avoid one. But given the scale, the impact on families, on civilians, there will be pressure for a stronger response,' said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center.

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to return tens of thousands of residents evacuated from northern border areas to their homes, amid mounting tensions with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.

In a brief video statement, Netanyahu made no mention of the operation that remotely detonated thousands of pagers and hand-held radio devices used by operatives of Hezbollah, which has blamed the attack on Israel.

"I have said it before, we will return to the citizens of the north to their homes in security and that's exactly what we are going to do," he said in a brief video statement, giving no further details.

In separate remarks, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said more forces were being sent to the northern border, where Israel has been exchanging daily fire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah for months, as the war moved into a new phase.

"The 'centre of gravity' is moving north, meaning that we are allocating forces, resources and energy for the northern arena," he said in remarks released by his office.

The U.N. Secretary-General has said he is 'deeply alarmed' by reports of exploding pagers and walkie talkies in Lebanon and Syria.

"The secretary general urges all concerned actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation," his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric continued, adding that he is calling for a "return to a cessation of hostilities to restore stability".

Earlier today, Antonio Guterres warned that the pager blasts targeting Hezbollah indicate "a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon and everything must be done to avoid that escalation."

"Obviously the logic of making all these devices explode is to do it as a pre-emptive strike before a major military operation," he told reporters ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly .

He also said that it was very important not to weaponize civilian objects.

Guterres "urges all concerned actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric later said in a statement.

Israel's defence minister has declared the start of a 'new phase' of the war as Israel focuses on the northern front - against Hezbollah in Lebanon

Yoav Gallant did not mention exploding pagers and walkie talkies but praised the work of Israel's army and security agencies, in a speech to troops today.

He said their 'results are very impressive', as he told gathered soldiers that they are 'diverting forces, resources, and energy toward the north', according to the Times of Israel.

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

Smoke rises above Israeli city Kiryat Shmona after rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israel

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as seen from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel

The United Nations Security Council will meet on Friday over the pager blasts in Lebanon targeting militant group Hezbollah.

Slovenia's U.N. Ambassador Samuel Zbogar, president of the 15-member council for September said the meeting was requested by Algeria on behalf of Arab states.

Earlier today, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the pager blasts targeting Hezbollah indicate 'a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon and everything must be done to avoid that escalation.'

'Obviously the logic of making all these devices explode is to do it as a pre-emptive strike before a major military operation,' he told reporters ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly .

He also said that it was very important not to weaponize civilian objects.

Guterres 'urges all concerned actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation,' his spokesman Stephane Dujarric later said in a statement.

Nine people have been killed and more than 300 injured in today's blasts across Lebanon, the health ministry has revealed.

A woman carries a Hezbollah flag during the funeral of persons killed when hundreds of paging devices exploded

Mourners chant slogans during the funeral of persons killed when hundreds of paging devices exploded

The consecutive attacks amount to the biggest security breach in Hezbollah's history, with the group and its backers Iran condemning Israel and labelling it 'mass murder'.

The repetition of the clandestine attacks, which Israel has not taken responsibility for, will raise already spiking tensions in the region to fever pitch, with Lebanon's foreign minister today warning that the blasts are an omen of a widening war.

Crowds have gathered outside a hospital in Baalbek in east Lebanon after communication devices exploded for a second day in Hezbollah strongholds.

Video footage circulating on social media shows Untied Nations vehicles being pelted with stones by members of the public.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon consists of 10,000 peacekeepers whose aim is to protect the country.

We can now show you footage of the moment one of the explosions took place in a packed street during a funeral.

Hundreds of poeple have been injured after walkie talkie radios belonging to Hezbollah members were detonated just a day after pagers exploded across the country.

See the video below:

Wireless radios targeted during a second day of carnage in Lebanon are less used than pagers and were distributed to Hezbollah rally organisers, CNN has reported citing a Lebanese security source.

The Lebanese Red Cross has declared it is responding to the latest explosions in Lebanon with 30 ambulance teams deployed across multiple areas of the country.

Hundreds of people have been wounded by this afternoon's explosions in Lebanon, security sources have told Reuters.

Many of the wounds were to the stomach and hands, the source said.

Nearly 3,000 people had already been injured in yesterday's detonation of pagers across the country.

Thousands of two-way personal radios used by Hezbollah members across Lebanon have been blown up in a second wave of an intelligence operation launched by Israel, US news outlet Axios has reported.

Two sources told Axios the radios marked the newest attacks on communication devices after pagers were detonated across the country on Tuesday.

It reports the radios were reportedly booby-trapped in advance by Israeli intelligence services and then delivered to Hezbollah which had intended to use them in a conflict with Israel.

by Elena Salvoni

Walkie talkies used by Hezbollah fighters have detonated across Lebanon, killing three and wounding dozens of people including mourners at a funeral, witnesses and security sources have reported.

It comes a day after thousands of exploding pagers used by the group left almost 3,000 people injured and a dozen dead, including civilians and children.

Hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, at around the same time as the compromised pagers, a security source has now revealed.

Read more here:

Hundreds of people across Lebanon have been injured in the latest blasts to hit the country.

Walkie-talkie radios are the latest communication devices to be detonated after pagers were blown up across the country during a targeted attack on Hezbollah.

Three people have been killed in Lebanon's Bekaa region in the east of the country following the latest detonations to communication devices, the state news agency reported on Wednesday.

Two-way radios and more pagers have reportedly been detonated in Beirut with witnesses claiming multiple cars and homes are on fire and more people have been injured.

Multiple explosions occurred Wednesday at the site of a funeral for three Hezbollah members and a child killed by exploding pagers the day before, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene.

Hezbollah's Al Manar TV reported explosions in multiple areas of Lebanon, which it said were the result of walkie-talkies detonating.

A security source has claimed the walkie-talkie radios that have reportedly blown up in Beirut were purchased around five months ago, the same time as pagers that exploded on Tuesday.

Read our breaking news story here.

Explosions have rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut for the second consecutive day as more people are injured by blasts following a series of detonations to devices.

Hand-held radios used by Lebanon's armed group Hezbollah detonated late on Wednesday afternoon across the country's south and in the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, a security source and a witness told Reuters.

At least one of the blasts took place near a funeral organized by Iran-backed Hezbollah for those killed the previous day when thousands of pagers used by the group exploded across the country.

Reuters journalists in Beirut's southern suburbs heard at least two contained blasts in separate parts of the suburbs on Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the explosions.

We will bring you developments as and when we can.

by Paul Thompson

The glamorous CEO of a company accused of manufacturing the exploding pagers that killed 12 people and injured thousands in one of the most audacious attacks ever launched by Israel on Hezbollah has been pictured.

Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, who studied in London and lists 'disaster management' as one of her skills, is listed as the Chief Executive of the Hungarian-based company BAC Consulting said to have supplied the devices to the Lebanese group.

She has denied any involvement with the pagers and told a US TV station:' I don't make the pagers. I am just the intermediate. I think you got it wrong.'

Read more here:

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Western backers of Israel should feel "shame" after paging devices belonging to Lebanon's Hezbollah exploded.

The deadly attack targeting the Tehran-aligned group has been blamed on Israel.

'Western countries and the Americans... fully support the crimes, killings and indiscriminate assassinations of the Zionist regime', Pezeshkian said in a statement, referring to Israel, adding that the explosions should bring them 'shame'.

by James Reynolds

Bodies fill the corridors of Beirut hospitals this morning as doctors desperately try to help those caught in a mass explosion of pagers across Lebanon yesterday.

Hezbollah operatives appeared to have been caught off guard by the detonation of thousands of pagers on Tuesday - an unprecedented attack on a technology brought in to replace mobile phones feared susceptible to Israeli hacking.

Israel and its military has not yet commented on the explosions, nor taken accountability for the attacks. Lebanese authorities were quick to blame 'Israeli aggression' as Hezbollah vowed revenge.

Read more here:

Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Wednesday it attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets in the first cross-border attack since the pager blasts, Reuters has reported.

Israel's foreign ministry has reported rocket alarms have sounded in the north of the country.

Plain-clothes police officers have arrived at the address of BAC Consulting, a Budapest-based company accused of manufacturing the pagers which exploded in Lebanon, witnesses have told Sky News.

Individuals who apparently identified themselves as police officers reportedly asked not to be filmed when they attended the head office in the Hungarian capital.

It comes after Gold Apollo, a a Taiwan-based company, said the pagers were manufactured in Budapest by an entity called BAC Consulting Kft under a brand licensing deal before being delivered to Lebanon.

An executive of BAC Consulting Kft confirmed to NBC in a phonecall that the company worked with Gold Apollo but said 'I don't make the pagers. I am just the intermediary', before hanging up.

by David Averre

Almost 3,000 people were injured and at least 12 killed in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday when pagers belonging to members of Hezbollah exploded in a shocking, co-ordinated attack of unprecedented scope and scale.

The crippling security breach is believed to be the result of a shady operation stretching from Hungary to Taiwan that was masterminded by Israel's foreign spy agency.

It is alleged that Mossad, working in collaboration with elements of Israel's Defence Forces (IDF), managed to infiltrate the supply chain and plant a small quantity of high explosives within the communication devices before they were delivered to Lebanon some time this spring.

Read more here:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza would be the best way to stop violence from spreading in the Middle East.

Mr Blinken's visit to Cairo marks the 10th trip to the region since the start of the war that was sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.

His visit aimed to salvage stalled negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the conflict.

Speaking at a joint press conference alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Mr Blinken said

We discussed the importance of getting this deal across the finish line, something we'll continue to pursue with our Qatari counterparts. We all know that a ceasefire is the best chance to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to address risks to regional stability.

Violence has surged in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the war broke out in Gaza, with Israel conducting large-scale raids in recent weeks.

by Jonathan Chadwick

Twelve people are dead and nearly 3,000 others wounded after thousands of pagers simultaneously exploded in the Middle East on Tuesday.

The coordinated attack targeted the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, and saw the small devices go off at around 15:30 local time across Lebanon and Syria.

It's thought the pagers – used because they were harder to track than smartphones – were booby-trapped by Israeli intelligence personnel with explosives that were triggered when a message was received.

Read more here:

Close to 3,000 people were injured across Lebanon yesterday when pagers exploded in an apparently co-ordinated attack carried out against Hezbollah.

The country's health minister Firass Abiad says 750 were injured in the south of Lebanon, and around 1,750 in the Beirut area.

While the UK-based watchdog Syrian Observatory of Human Rights has confirmed explosions in Syria's capital Damascus.

Here's a map showing where blasts were recorded on Tuesday.

These pictures captured by a Reuters photographer show it's business as ususal for these Lebanese street vendors ias they open up their wares the morning after a deadly pager attack.

The traders were pictured opening up their carts in Sidon, Lebanon's third-largest city where some pagers exploded on Tueday.

Antony Blinken has denied the US had any knowledge or involvement in the Lebanon pager blasts.

Speaking at a press conference alongsidehis Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty in Cairo, Mr Blinken said:

Broadly speaking, we have been very clear and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could escalate the conflict we are trying to resolve in Gaza.

It is imperative all parties refrain from any actions that could escalate the conflict.

by Elena Salvoni

The Middle East is on the brink after a mass attack on Hezbollah saw thousands of its militants' pagers explode - just hours after Israel's prime minister vowed to step up military action against Lebanon.

While Israel has not confirmed that it was behind the pager blasts - which left some 2,800 Hezbollah members and civilians injured and nine dead in Lebanon and Syria - several security sources have blamed the IDF and Mossad spy agency for the attack.

Hostile rhetoric on both sides was building even before the blasts amid ongoing cross-border fire between Lebanon and Israel over the past year, as Hezbollah continues to pummel Israel in a show of support to its allies Hamas in Gaza.

Read more here:

Israel is pushing the whole Middle East to the brink of regional conflict by maintaining a dangerous escalation on several fronts, Jordan's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

In remarks after an Islamic and Arab ministerial contact group meeting in Amman to lobby for a Gaza ceasefire, Ayman Safadi said peace would not prevail without a two-state solution.

Good afternoon, we are providing live updates and reaction to the deadly pager bomb explosions in Lebanon yesterday which targeted Hezbollah terrorists.

Israel has been blamed for the attack by compromising pagers with lithium batteries in an audacious operation masterminded by Mossad, Israel's security services and the IDF

Here's what has happened today:

• Lebanon's health minister has provided an update on the bomb attack and said two children were among at least 12 killed
• Iran has accused Israel of 'mass murder' while Russia, Egypt and Turkey has shown support to Lebanon following the pager bomb attack yesterday
• A Taiwanese company said it authorised its brand on the that pagers that exploded but insisted the devices were manufactured in the Hungarian capital Budapest
• Security sources say Israeli military and intelligence personnel managed to access 5,000 pagers 'at production level' and insert a small amount of high explosives months before they were imported to Lebanon
• A US security official today said that the attack was planned for a later date as part of an 'all-out offensive' against Hezbollah, but Israel chose to detonate the devices early amid concerns the Lebanese group had become aware of the plan
• Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will give a speech on Thursday, the group said in a statement on Wednesday

Firass Abiad said some of the injured have been moved to Iran and Syria and that more of he wounded may have to leave the country to receive specialist treatment.

Abiad said 750 were injured in the south of Lebanon, while there was around 1,750 casualties in the Beirut area.

Around 100 hospitals in Lebanon have admitted patients.

'After checking with all the hospitals', the toll was revised to '12 dead including two children', Abiad told a news conference.

The dead included a girl and a boy as well as four health workers from private hospitals in Beirut's southern suburbs who had pagers, he said.

Some cases in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley were transferred to Syria, while other cases would be evacuated to Iran, he added.

'A little less than 300 patients are in critical condition' with some suffering from face injuries and brain haemorrhaging, Abiad said.

The wounded who arrived at the emergency room were not all young men. We saw children and elderly people.

Firass Abiad, Lebanon's health minister, has told a press conference 12 people have been killed, including an eight-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy.

Healthcare workers were also among those killed when pagers exploded across the country yesterday.

These pictures show relatives mourning the death of a 10-year-old girl who was among the victims when pagers exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday.

The AFP news agency captured images during the funeral for Fatima Abdallah in the village of Saraain in the Bekaa valley.

At least nine people were killed when pagers detonated across the country while 2,750 were injured - 300 critically.

A Lebanese journalist who once worked for the BBC has described yesterday's pager bomb explosions as a 'national traumatic event'.

Kim Ghattas was returning to her home in Beirut from a funeral when the blasts were triggered.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ms Ghattas, who now writes for The Atlantic after spending two decades at the BBC, said she felt 'emotion after emotion and trauma after trauma'.

It was really a scene of chaos across the city because people didn't instantly understand what was happening.

We first thought it was one large explosion in the south of Beirut, it then became clear there were simultaneous small explosions everywhere.

Then we started seeing CCTV from inside shops and supermarkets of these small explosions targeting people doing their groceries or paying at the checkout.

Then for hours on end [we heard] the wail of sirens. The internal security forces were asking people to get off the streets because traffic was overwhelming the city. It was really a national traumatic event.

The IDF has attacked a building where members of Hezbollah were based last night, it has emerged this morning

In a tweet posted on X, the IDF shared footage of the airstrikes and said:

Last night, IDF forces identified a number of terrorists from the terrorist organization Hezbollah while they were operating in a military structure in the Majdal Salem area of ​​southern Lebanon.

In closing a circle from the air, fighter jets attacked the structure where the terrorists were operating. In addition, fighter jets attacked the organization's military buildings in five different areas in the south Lebanon.

Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East have prompted international airlines to suspend flights to the region or to avoid affected air space.

Below are some of the airlines that have adjusted services to and from the region:

• Air Algérie - The Algerian airline suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.
• Air France said it was suspending services to Beirut and Tel Aviv up to and including September 19.
• Air India - The Indian flag carrier suspended scheduled flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
• Cathay Pacific - Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until March 27, 2025.
• Delta - The US carrier paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through to October 31.
• EasyJet- The UK budget airline stopped flying to and from Tel Aviv in April and will resume flights on March 30, 2025, a spokesperson said.
• LOT Polish Airlines - Poland's national flag carrier suspended flights to Lebanon until further notice.
• Lufthansa - The German airline group said it was suspending all connections to and from Tel Aviv and Tehran up to and including September 19.
• Ryanair - Europe's biggest budget airline cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 26, citing 'operational restrictions'.
• United Airlines - The Chicago-based airline suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future due to security reasons.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Cairo rejects any attempts at escalation in the region and supports Lebanon following the pager blasts, the Egyptian presidency said on Wednesday.

At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday.

The President affirmed Egypt's rejection of attempts to escalate the conflict and expand its scope regionally, pointing out the need for all parties to act responsibly, and reaffirming Egypt's support for Lebanon

Blinken is visiting Egypt hoping to advance efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and strengthen ties with Cairo.

We're getting some reaction from nations to the deadly pager attack in Lebanon.

Iran has accused Israel of 'mass murder' today after devices belonging to Tehran-aligned Hezbollah exploded.

Foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement he 'condemned the terrorist act of the Zionist regime... as an example of mass murder'.

The Iranian Red Crescent said on Wednesday it had dispatched 'rescue teams and eye surgeons' to Lebanon to treat the wounded.

There was no immediate comment from Israel

Elsewhere, Russia said it strongly condemned the deadly attack and called for 'all parties involved to exercise restraint'.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said:

We strongly condemn the unprecedented attack on friendly Lebanon and its citizens, which constitutes a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and a serious challenge to international law through the use of unconventional weapons.

Israeli and US sources have reportedly claimed the explosions carried out in Lebanon were triggered earlier than initially planned.

Media outlets Axios and Al-Monitor say insiders told them the detonations were intended to be the opening move in an "all-out" offensive against Hezbollah.

However, the attack was brought forward after Israel had grown concerned in recent days that Hezbollah had caught wind of the plan.

Video footage from inside a Beirut supermarket appears to show the moment Israel sent out its deadly message.

A Hezbollah attacker was seen confusedly lifting his shirt up at a supermarket after getting a message on his pager, which lit up.

He stared at it for a second before it detonated, collapsing him in an instant as supermarket workers and fellow shoppers panicked and fled.

Watch the video below:

The hundreds of pagers (not pictured) that exploded on Tuesday in Lebanon and Syria had apparently been acquired by the militant group Hezbollah after the group's leader ordered members in February to stop using mobile phones, warning they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence.

The pagers exploded simultaneously, killing at least nine people, including members of Hezbollah, and wounding more than 2,000, including the Iranian ambassador

A Hezbollah official told the Associated Press the pagers were a new brand, but declined to say how long they had been in use.

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said it authorised its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria, but they were manufactured by a company based in Budapest.

The AR-924 pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary's capital, according to a statement by Gold Apollo.

It said: "According to the co-operation agreement, we authorise BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC."

Gold Apollo chairman Hsu Ching-kuang told journalists on Wednesday that his company has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years, but did not provide evidence of the contract.

The AR-924 pager, advertised as being "rugged", contains a rechargeable lithium battery, according to specifications once advertised on Gold Apollo's website before it was apparently taken down on Tuesday.

It could receive text messages of up to 100 characters.

by David Averre

A pager bomb attack that left roughly 2,800 Hezbollah members and civilians injured and nine dead in Lebanon and Syria yesterday was authored by Israel's Mossad spy agency and the IDF, several security sources claim.

The Lebanese group earlier this year ordered thousands of pagers to conduct communications after leader Hassan Nasrallah declared smartphones would be more susceptible to cyber attacks by Israeli forces.

Israeli military and intelligence personnel managed to access 5,000 pagers, produced in Budapest by BAC Consulting KFT, 'at the production level' and insert a small amount of high explosives months before they were imported to Lebanon, according to several security sources who spoke to Reuters.

Read more here:

This graphic produced for the Daily Mail newspaper shows how the pager bomb attack was carried out in Lebanon yesterday.

Israeli security services and its military are said to have filled the hand-held ordered by Hezbollah with one or two ounces of explosive material along with a detonating switch prior to their delivery.

A Hezbollah official said the new pagers that its members were carrying had lithium batteries.

Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, melt and even catch on fire.

Rechargeable lithium batteries are used in consumer products ranging from phones and laptops to electric cars. Lithium battery fires can burn up to 590C.

Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (pictured) will give a speech on Thursday, the group said in a statement on Wednesday.

Nasrallah is credited as one of the most powerful Shia figures in the Middle East who has left a lasting impact on Lebanon and its role in the Arab-Israel conflict.

Under his stewardship, Hezbollah has grown from a local armed movement to the largest political party in Lebanon’s recent history.

In 2018, Hezbollah won ore than 340,000 preferential votes, the most for any party in Lebanon since the country's independence in 1943

In October 2021, Nasrallah said Hezbollah had 100,000 fighters, making it among the most powerful non-national armed organisations worldwide.

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of war between Israel and Hezbollah's ally 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 said that halting Hezbollah's attacks in the north to allow residents to return to their homes is now an official war goal.

Israel has killed Hamas militants in the past with booby trapped cellphones and it's widely believed to have been behind the Stuxnet computer virus attack on Iran's nuclear programme in 2010.

Both Hezbollah and Lebanon's government have squarely blamed Israel for the attack. Though Israel has not yet commented on the matter, allies including the United States sought to distance themselves from the attack.

Hezbollah said in a statement:

'We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression,' adding that Israel 'will certainly receive its just punishment for this sinful aggression'.

In a second statement, the terror group added

After examining all the facts, current data, and available information about the sinful attack that took place this afternoon, we hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that targeted civilians too.

Prominent Hezbollah politician Ali Ammar spoke to the Associated Press after his son, Mahdi, was killed.

This is a new Israeli aggression against Lebanon. The resistance will retaliate in a suitable way at the suitable time.

Lebanon’s prime minister Najib Mikati condemned ‘criminal Israeli aggression’ and called the attack ‘a serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty’.

Here's a quick rundown of the attacks carried out on Hezbollah terrorists yesterday:

• More than 300 people were rushed to hospital in a critical condition after pagers used by proscribed terror group Hezbollah detonated over a period of an hour yesterday afternoon.
• The detonators activated at around 3.30pm local time (1.45pm UK time) on Tuesday after receiving a message that purported to be from Hezbollah's top brass.
• Widespread panic and chaotic scenes were seen across Beirut's southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, while in neighbouring Syria 14 people were injured by the blasts, according to Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
• Victims were seen writhing in agony with hideous injuries to their faces, abdomens and even their groins in harrowing images and videos shared to social media and published on Lebanese networks.
• Among those reportedly killed were two girls, aged eight aged eight and ten, and the son of a Lebanese MP. Iran said its ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, also sustained injuries to his face and hand.
• Both Hezbollah and Lebanon's government have squarely blamed Israel for the attack. Though Israel has not yet commented on the matter, allies including the United States sought to distance themselves from the attack.

Firstly, let's bring you our current top story on the MailOnline website which reports Israel was involved in the deadly pager bomb attack

by Perkin Amalaraj and Sam Greenhill

Israeli spies were behind the pager bomb attack that killed nine, including two young girls, and left more than 2,750 people wounded across Lebanon.

The New York Times reported that Hezbollah's pagers were compromised in a joint operation between Mossad, Israel's shadowy intelligence agency, and the IDF.

The security service and military are said to have filled the pagers ordered by Hezbollah with one or two ounces of explosive material along with a detonating switch prior to their delivery.

Read more here:

Hello and welcome to MailOnline's live coverage of the pager bomb attack which targeted Hezbollah terrorists across Lebanon and Syria.

At least nine people were killed and 2,750 wounded, 300 critically, following a series of detonations of the hand-held devices on Tuesday afternoon.

Hezbollah immediately blamed Israel and vowed to exact revenge while the New York Times reported the pagers (pictured above) were compromised in a joint operation between Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, and the IDF.

We will bring you all the developments and reaction throughout the day as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah threaten to intensify further as both sides edge closer to war.