Hundreds of Hezbollah members' pagers explode simultaneously in Lebanon

*This is a developing news story.

Several hundred members of the Shiite group Hezbollah were seriously injured in what appears to be a coordinated electronic attack when their pagers exploded simultaneously. The attack reportedly left nearly 3,000 injured, 200 in serious condition, and at least eight dead.

According to Lebanese media reports, hospitals in Beirut are overwhelmed as they have received a large number of patients affected by explosions of small pager devices that exploded while worn.

Israel has yet to comment officially, although an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted by the Times of Israel reportedly suggested that Jerusalem is behind the attack. The prime minister's office quickly distanced itself from that comment.

According to Axios Middle East correspondent Barak Ravid, the Lebanese government spokesman said he holds Israel responsible for the pager explosions as it is a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.

Social networks have been flooded with videos, from security cameras and private individuals, showing several small explosions which left people injured on the ground. The Lebanese media estimates 3,000 people were wounded.

According to Shiite militia sources consulted by Reuters, the coordinated electronic attack has affected the terrorist group’s communication network. The group, for security reasons, abandoned telephone and smartphone communications and opted to use these beepers, or pagers, which are very common in the health or emergency services field.

According to some reports, all the pagers that exploded are Motorola brand devices. Hezbollah acquired them and distribute them among its members months ago. Some members of Hezbollah’s leadership were wounded. According to the Iranian Mehr media, Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was inside the terrorist group's communication network.