Beirut, 17 Sept

Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria on Tuesday, wounding members of the militant group Hezbollah, the Iranian Ambassador and dozens of other people.

Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack at a time of rising tensions across the Lebanon border. A Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Associated Press that “several hundred” people, including members of the group, were wounded in different parts of Lebanon when their handheld pagers exploded. He said a few Hezbollah fighters were also wounded in Syria when the pagers they were carrying exploded.

Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, melt and even catch on fire. Rechargeable lithium batteries are used in consumer products ranging from cellphones and laptops to electric cars. Lithium battery fires can burn up to 590 degree Celsius. The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel.

Photos and videos on social media showed people lying with wounds on their hands or near their pants pockets. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group's members not to carry cellphones, saying that they could be used by Israel to track their movements and to carry out targeted strikes.

Associated Press reached out to the Israeli military, which declined to comment. Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, close to the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard, said on its Telegram channel that Mojtaba Amani, Iran's Ambassador in Lebanon, has a superficial injury. Lebanon's Health Ministry asked workers to avoid using wireless devices. -AP