Hundreds of pagers exploded simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria on Tuesday. (Screengrab)
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has blamed Israeli intelligence agency Mossad for the sophisticated attack. A further round of explosions in the Lebanese capital Beirut, apparently targeting militant group Hezbollah, has taken the death toll to at least 15 with hundreds more left wounded.
It follows previous blasts linked to pager devices that had already killed 12 and injured thousands.
According to the Associated Press, there were multiple detonations during the second attack, including at least one at the site of a funeral for victims of the initial attack, with more reported across Lebanon, and which sources have said originated from walkie-talkies used by the organisation's fighters.
The Iranian ambassador and thousands of others were among the wounded in what appeared to be the first phase of a sophisticated, remote attack that saw hundreds of pagers explode simultaneously across Lebanon and parts of Syria on Tuesday
The Associated Press news agency cited an anonymous Hezbollah official, which blamed Israel for targeting the device. However, Israel has not admitted any part in the attack and the Israeli military have declined to comment.
Tensions have been rising between Lebanon and Israel, with clashes almost daily between Hezbollah and Israeli forces since the war between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas began in Gaza.
The UK Foreign Office has urged “calm heads and de-escalation”. A statement added: “The civilian casualties following these explosions are deeply distressing.” By Andy Wells, Yahoo News
