At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 people wounded across Lebanon on Tuesday afternoon when hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah and others almost simultaneously exploded. Hezbollah has blamed Israel, where officials and the military have made no comment.

The 1980s-style telecommunications device is popular with militants and criminals because of its perceived safety and security.

Hundreds of pagers belonging to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have simultaneously exploded across Lebanon. At the time of publishing, at least nine people have been killed and 2,750 wounded, according to security services and the Lebanese health minister.

Israel had a hand in the actual manufacturing of the pagers that exploded on Hezbollah operatives this week, an attack that was in planning for at least 15 years.