Hezbollah vows to punish Israel after deadly pager blasts

Hezbollah vowed on Wednesday to punish Israel for a deadly attack in which hundreds of paging devices used by the group's members exploded almost simultaneously across Lebanon.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the wave of explosions that killed nine people, including the 10-year-old daughter of a Hezbollah member, and wounded around 2,800 others.

The attack came just hours after Israel announced it was broadening the aims of the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attacks to include its fight against the Palestinian armed group's ally Hezbollah along the country's border with Lebanon.

"We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression," the group said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that Israel "will certainly receive its just punishment for this sinful aggression."

On Wednesday, the group vowed in another statement on Telegram it would continue its fight in support of Gaza while reiterating it would avenge Tuesday's blasts.

"This path is ongoing and separate from the difficult reckoning that the criminal enemy must await for its massacre on Tuesday," the group said in a statement on Telegram.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will make a previously unscheduled speech at 5 p.m. on Thursday, the group said.

The wave of blasts killed nine people, including a girl, and wounded 2,800 others, 200 of them critically, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said Tuesday.

"This was more than lithium batteries being forced into override," said Charles Lister of the Washington, D.C.,-based Middle East Institute.

"A small plastic explosive was almost certainly concealed alongside the battery for remote detonation via a call or page."

Israel's spy agency "Mossad infiltrated the supply chain," he said.