What we know about the Hezbollah pager explosions

Thousands of radical person been injured successful Lebanon, aft pagers utilized by the equipped radical Hezbollah to pass dramatically exploded astir simultaneously crossed the state connected Tuesday.

At slightest 9 radical were killed successful the blasts, with hundreds much pouring into hospitals crossed the country. Lebanon's wellness ministry says astatine slightest 2,750 radical person been injured, 200 of them seriously.

It is unclear however the onslaught - which looks to person been highly blase - occurred, though Hezbollah has blamed its adversary Israel. Israeli officials person truthful acold declined to comment.

Here is what we cognize truthful far.

The blasts began successful confederate Beirut and respective different areas of Lebanon connected Tuesday day astatine astir 15:45 section clip (13:45 BST).

Witnesses reported seeing fume coming from people's pockets, earlier seeing tiny explosions that sounded similar fireworks and gunshots.

In 1 clip, CCTV footage appeared to amusement an detonation successful a man’s trouser pouch arsenic helium stood astatine a store till.

Explosions continued for astir an hr aft the archetypal blasts, the Reuters quality bureau reported.

Soon after, scores of radical began arriving astatine hospitals crossed Lebanon, with witnesses reporting scenes of wide confusion.

A root adjacent to Hezbollah told AFP that 2 of those killed were the sons of 2 Hezbollah MPs. They besides said the girl of a Hezbollah subordinate was killed.

Among the injured was Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani. Reports successful Iranian media said his injuries were minor.

Hezbollah main Hassan Nasrallah was not wounded successful the explosions, Reuters reported quoting a source.

Outside of Lebanon, 14 radical were injured successful akin blasts successful neighbouring Syria, according to UK-based run radical the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

• Pager explosions volition devastate Hezbollah's morale and manpower

Analysts person been speedy to explicit daze astatine the standard of Tuesday's onslaught - saying Hezbollah prides itself connected its information measures.

Some suggested a hack whitethorn person caused the pager batteries to overheat, causing the devices to explode. Such an enactment would beryllium unprecedented.

But galore experts accidental that is unlikely, with footage of the explosions inconsistent with the batteries overheating.

Some analysts accidental alternatively that immoderate benignant of proviso concatenation attack, which progressive the pagers being tampered with during their manufacture oregon successful transit, was much likely.

Supply concatenation attacks are a increasing interest successful the cyber information satellite with galore high-profile incidents precocious caused by hackers gaining entree to products whilst they are successful development.

But these attacks are usually contained to software. Hardware proviso concatenation attacks are acold rarer arsenic they impact getting hands connected to the device.

If this was so a proviso concatenation onslaught it would person progressive a immense cognition to secretly tamper with the pagers successful immoderate way.

A erstwhile British Army munitions expert, who asked not to beryllium named, told the BBC the devices could person been packed with betwixt 10 to 20 grams each of military-grade precocious explosive, hidden wrong a fake physics component.

This, said the expert, would person been equipped by a signal, thing called an alphanumeric substance message.

So far, cipher has claimed work - though Lebanon's premier curate and Hezbollah person blamed Israel.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the explosions represented a “serious usurpation of Lebanese sovereignty and a transgression by each standards”.

In its connection accusing Israel of being down the attacks, Hezbollah said it held the state "fully liable for this transgression aggression that besides targeted civilians".

"This treacherous and transgression force volition surely person its conscionable punishment for this sinful aggression, whether it expects it oregon not," it added.

Israeli officials person not commented connected the allegations, but astir analysts hold that it seems apt it is down the attack.

Prof Simon Mabon, seat successful International Relations astatine Lancaster University, told the BBC: "We cognize that Israel has a precedent of utilizing exertion to way its target" - but helium called the standard of this onslaught "unprecedented".

Lina Khatib, from the UK-based Chatham House, said the onslaught suggested that Israel has "deeply" infiltrated Hezbollah's "communications network".

Hezbollah relies heavy connected pagers for the group’s communications.

Mobile phones person agelong since been abandoned arsenic simply excessively vulnerable, arsenic Israel’s assassination of the Hamas bomb-maker Yahya Ayyash demonstrated arsenic agelong agone arsenic 1996, erstwhile his telephone exploded successful his hand.

But 1 Hezbollah operative told the AP quality bureau that the pagers were a caller marque that the radical had not utilized before.

Emily Harding, an ex-analyst with the CIA, said the information breach was profoundly embarrassing to Hezbollah.

"A breach of this magnitude is not lone physically harmful, but volition besides marque them question their full information apparatus," she told the BBC.

"I would expect to spot them behaviour an intensive interior probe that volition distract them from a imaginable combat with Israel."

Hezbollah is allied with Israel's arch-nemesis successful the region, Iran. The radical is portion of Tehran's Axis of Resistance and has been engaged successful a low-level warfare with Israel for months, often exchanging rocket and rocket occurrence crossed Israel's bluish border. Entire communities person been displaced from some sides.

The blasts came conscionable hours aft Israel's information furniture made the harmless instrumentality of residents to the northbound of the state an authoritative warfare goal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a visiting US authoritative that Israel would "do what is indispensable to guarantee its security".

Earlier connected Monday, Israel's home information bureau said it had thwarted a Hezbollah effort to assassinate a erstwhile official.

Despite the ongoing tensions, observers accidental that until present some sides person aimed to incorporate hostilities without crossing the enactment into full-scale war. But determination are fears that the concern could spiral retired of control, with Hezbollah already threatening to respond to Tuesday's explosions.