Unprecedented Israeli intelligence operation against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, 3,000 wounded

Pagers belonging to Hezbollah members began detonating en masse this afternoon. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, more than 2,700 people were injured as a result. Israel has not confirmed its involvement 

Eight people, including a child, were killed and 2,750 others were injured in a pager explosion in Lebanon, the country's Health Minister Firas Abyad said, Al Jazeera reported. 

He said hospitals in southern Beirut were overcrowded, with most of the injured arriving with hand or head injuries. A Hezbollah spokesman told Al Jazeera that three people were killed and a "large number" of people were injured in the mass pager detonation.

The TV channel notes that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called on the group's members to stop using smartphones several months ago. He said that Israel has the technology to hack into these devices.

According to military analysts interviewed by the TV channel, Hezbollah members have started to switch to pagers en masse to prevent Israel from intercepting their messages. Reuters quoted sources as saying that the devices that exploded today were obtained by Hezbollah fighters in recent months.