Hezbollah and the Lebanese government are blaming Israel for the explosions of pagers used by Hezbollah members, which killed at least nine people and wounded about 2,800 others Tuesday.
Hezbollah said Wednesday it would continue its fight against Israel in support of Hamas militants in Gaza, and that Israel should await “harsh punishment.”
Israel did not comment on the incident, which came hours after the Israeli government announced a broadening of its goals in the war against Hamas militants in Gaza to include the securing of northern Israel amid the conflict with Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Suspicion focused on small amounts of explosives being added to the pagers before they were delivered to Hezbollah. The group relied on the devices after its leader ordered members to stop using cellphones amid concerns that Israeli intelligence could intercept and track their communications.
Hsu Ching-Kuang, founder of Taiwan-based manufacturer Gold Apollo, told reporters Wednesday his company did not manufacture the pagers, but rather authorized its brand to be used on devices produced and sold by a company called BAC.
Iranian state media reported the country’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among those wounded by an exploding pager.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters the U.S. was “not aware of this incident in advance” and was still “gathering information.”
Local officials near the Israeli border called on residents to stay close to bomb shelters fearing a Hezbollah response.
VOA State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching contributed to this report.
