US says it was ‘not aware’ and ‘not involved’ in Lebanon’s pager explosions

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In a first official response to a series of explosions of Hezbollah communication devices across Lebanon, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller affirmed on Tuesday that the United States was “not involved.”

"We are gathering information on this incident. I can tell you that the U.S. was not involved in it. The U.S. was not aware of this incident in advance. And at this point, we're gathering information," Miller told reporters. “We’re collecting information in the same way that journalists are across the world to gather the facts about what might have happened.”

Miller reiterated in the briefing that the U.S. wishes to see a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. He said the administration is concerned about an escalation of tensions and urged Iran not to take advantage of any incident to raise regional instability.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also denied any U.S. involvement in the unusual attack, which Lebanese officials have blamed on Israel.

Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary condemned the detonation of pager devices as an "Israeli aggression," according to Reuters. He called on the United Nations to hold Israel accountable for “a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.”

Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported at least 11 people were confirmed dead from the explosions, and approximately 4,000 were injured – 400 of whom are in critical condition. Arab media reported that 500 Hezbollah operatives lost their eyesight.

Hezbollah released the names and photos of several of its operatives who were killed in the blasts on Tuesday. The terror group vowed in a statement that Israel would receive "its fair punishment.”

Hezbollah parliament member Ali Ammar, whose son was killed in the attack, told local media: “This was a barbaric, vile attack… We tell the (Israeli) enemy that one day the war will arrive.”

Reuters quoted an unnamed Hezbollah official calling the incident "the biggest security breach" in nearly a year of conflict with Israel.

Israel remained silent throughout the day and did not take responsibility for the attack that targeted Hezbollah terrorists – not just in Lebanon, but also in Syria.

IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lt.-Col. Herzi Halevi, held a situational assessment on Tuesday evening, “focusing on readiness in both offense and defense in all arenas,” the IDF said in a statement.

According to a report by Sky News Arabia, the surprising operation was carried out by Mossad agents who allegedly placed explosives (PETN) inside the pager’s batteries. The devices were then targeted by an external signal that caused the batteries to overheat and detonate the devices.

In other global reactions to the developments in Lebanon, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the situation is “extremely concerning.”

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen condemned the “Israeli attack against Lebanon.”

Several international airlines announced they are canceling all flights to and from Ben-Gurion International Airport due to the security situation.