Hezbollah alleges Israel’s role in pager blasts that left hundreds injured

At least eight people, including members of the Hezbollah group, died in the pager blasts that occurred in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday. According to officials, over 2,500 people were injured in the explosion.

Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the explosions and warned Tel Aviv "will receive just punishment". 

"We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression," a statement by Hezbollah read. 

A number of Hezbollah members arrived at hospitals after their pagers exploded. Photos and videos of the pager blast circulated on social media. Several people suffered wounds to their hands and legs after the pagers exploded. 

The new brand of handheld pagers used by the group first heated up, then exploded, killing at least two of its members and wounding others, a Hezbollah official told The Associated Press. 

Meanwhile, the Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country's ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated at a hospital.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group's members not to carry cell phones, saying that they could be used by Israel to track their movements and to carry out targeted strikes.

Dozens of injuries were mainly reported from Beirut's southern suburbs and the eastern Bekaa Valley--Hezbollah's strongholds. 

Reportedly, the new pagers the Hezbollah members were carrying had lithium batteries. Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, melt and even catch on fire. 

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel. On the backdrop of Hamas-Israel war and intensified Gaza attacks, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months.