Dozens of people were wounded in Beirut’s suburbs and other parts of Lebanon after their handheld pagers exploded Tuesday, Lebanese state media and security officials said.

A senior military intelligence official and an official with a Lebanese group with knowledge of the situation, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation said that pagers carried by Hezbollah members were detonated. The second official said it was believed to be an Israeli attack.

The state-run National News Agency reported that in Beirut’s southern suburbs and other areas “the handheld pagers system was detonated using advanced technology, and dozens of injuries were reported.” It wasn’t immediately clear if people were killed.

A Hezbollah official said that at least 150 people, including members of the group, were wounded in different parts of Lebanon when the pagers they were carrying exploded. The 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 that targeted the devices.”

“Israel stands behind this security incident,” the official said, without elaborating. He added that the new pagers that Hezbollah members were carrying had lithium batteries that exploded. Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, melt, and even catch on fire.

حدث أمني في #الضاحية_الجنوبية أدى الى سقوط عدد كبير من الاصابات pic.twitter.com/s8rVamMzud

— kataeb.org (@kataeb_Ar) September 17, 2024