Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded almost simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, government and Hezbollah officials said. Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack.

The Israeli military declined to comment.

Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several occasions and forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate their homes.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war has caused vast destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.

Here’s the latest:

The son of a Hezbollah legislator is among those killed in Lebanon

BEIRUT — The son of a member of Hezbollah’s bloc in Lebanon’s parliament was among those killed Tuesday. The sons of two other senior officials were wounded, a Hezbollah official said.

Prominent Hezbollah legislator Ali Ammar spoke to The Associated Press after his son, Mahdi, was killed.

“This is a new Israeli aggression against Lebanon,” Ammar said. “The resistance will retaliate in a suitable way at the suitable time.”

A Hezbollah official said the wounded include the son of Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah and the son of senior security official Wafiq Safa. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

— By Associated Press reporter Bassem Mroue

Iran condemns pager explosions

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s foreign minister has strongly condemned what he and other officials say was an Israeli attack in which hundred of pagers exploded across Lebanon and parts of Syria.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reports that Abbas Araghchi made the comments in a phone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdallah Bou Habib. The explosions occurred in the suburbs of Beirut and in other areas that are strongholds of Iran-backed Hezbollah.

IRNA reported that during the phone call, Araghchi offered condolences and expressed solidarity with the Lebanese government, nation. He also said Iran is ready to provide treatment for the injured people or their transfer to Tehran.

Israel has not commented.

Lebanon condemns pager attack

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s foreign ministry has condemned what called and “Israeli cyber attack,” in which hundreds of handheld pagers exploded across Lebanon and parts of Syria.

The ministry said in a statement that it is preparing to submit a complaint to the U.N. Security Council.

“This dangerous and deliberate Israeli escalation is accompanied by Israeli threats to expand the scope of the war against Lebanon on a large scale, and by the intransigence of Israeli’s positions calling for more bloodshed, destruction and devastation,” it said.

Israel has not commented.

Exploding pagers in Syria and Lebanon kill at least 8

BEIRUT — At least eight people were killed Tuesday after hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria, government and Hezbollah officials said.

Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack. The Israeli military declined to comment.

Lebanon’s health minister, Firas Abiad, said at least eight people were killed and 2,750 wounded. Hezbollah said at least two of its members were among the dead.

Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country’s ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was superficially wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated at a hospital.

Hezbollah says it is investigating exploding pagers

BEIRUT — Hezbollah said in a statement that at 3:30 p.m. (1230 GMT) pagers used by people working for the group’s institutions began exploding “mysteriously,” killing a young girl and two Hezbollah members and wounding several people.

The statement said Hezbollah is carrying out “a security and scientific” investigation into the simultaneous explosions.

Hezbollah called on people not to listen to rumors that are part of “psychological warfare” as Israel threatens to change the facts on the ground along its northern border.

“The resistance, at all its levels, is on high alert to defend Lebanon and its steadfast people,” the statement said.

Israel’s security agency says it’s foiled a Hezbollah attempt to kill a former senior official

JERUSALEM — Israel’s internal security agency says it foiled an attempt by Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group to kill a former senior Israeli security official.

The Shin Bet said in a statement on Tuesday that it had found an explosive device fitted with a camera and a mechanism that would allow it to be activated by Hezbollah from Lebanon. It said the attack was to be carried out in the coming days.

The Shin Bet did not provide evidence linking the device to Hezbollah, which has been trading fire with Israel along the Lebanese border since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

It did not say where the device was found or identify the target of the attack, but said the official had been notified. It said the device was similar to one found in a park in Tel Aviv in September 2023 that it said was intended to target a senior Israeli official.

That device went off without causing any injuries. The Shin Bet said Hezbollah was behind both planned attacks.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.

In recent days Israeli officials have warned of a wider military operation to halt Hezbollah rocket attacks and allow tens of thousands of Israelis to return to their homes in the north.

At least 4 killed in an Israeli strike on homes in central Gaza

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian officials say Israel has struck a number of homes in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least four people, including a child. The Civil Defense first responders say more people are trapped under the rubble and the toll is likely to rise after the strikes early Tuesday.

Another strike late Monday in Gaza City killed a man, his wife and child, according to the Civil Defense.

Israel says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It accuses Hamas and other armed groups of endangering civilians by operating in densely populated areas.

The Civil Defense said that their rescue crews came under Israeli fire as they arrived in the area, injuring one.

The Israeli military said it was targeting militants preparing to fire at troops and was reviewing “reports regarding harm to uninvolved civilians.” A military official speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations said that paramedics from agencies such as the U.N. sometimes have to coordinate with the military before rushing in to evacuate the wounded.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, which was ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into Israel. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says a little over half of those killed were women and children.

The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people in the Oct. 7 attacks and took another 250 hostage. They are still holding around 100 captives, a third of whom are believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released during a cease-fire in November.

Netanyahu tells US envoy Israel will do ‘whatever is necessary’ to allow residents in the north to return home

JERUSALEM — Returning residents evacuated from Israel’s north due to cross-border fighting with Hezbollah is now an official war goal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday.

Israeli officials have long said they aim to return the tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes, so it was not immediately clear how the announcement would impact the conduct of the war. But it was a strong indication Israel is prepared to take tougher military action to realize that goal.

Visiting White House envoy Amos Hochstein met with Netanyahu and other top officials Monday to try to soothe tensions and avoid the opening of a new front between Israel and Lebanon.

Netanyahu told the envoy that Israel will do “whatever is necessary” to bring home the residents.

In a brief statement after an overnight Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu’s office said Israel will continue to work toward the goal — the latest sign that patience is running out.

Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several occasions and forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate their homes.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said the focal point of military action is moving from Gaza to Israel’s northern front. In talks with Hochstein on Monday, both he and Netanyahu warned that time was running out for a diplomatic solution and heavier military activity could be inevitable.

US airs frustration with Israel’s military about strikes in Gaza

UNITED NATIONS — The United States ambassador to the United Nations accused Israel’s military of striking schools, humanitarian workers and civilians in Gaza in a sign of growing American frustration with its close ally as the war approaches its first anniversary.

Israel has repeatedly said it targets Hamas militants, who often hide with civilians and use them as human shields, in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and launched the war in Gaza.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield was unusually outspoken against the Israeli military at a U.N. Security Council meeting Monday, saying many of the strikes in recent weeks that injured or killed U.N. personnel and humanitarian workers were preventable.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an independent investigation.

Thomas-Greenfield told council members that the U.S. will keep raising the need for Israel to facilitate humanitarian operations in the Palestinian territory and protect humanitarian workers and facilities. She also reiterated outrage at the death of Turkish American activist Aysenur Eygi, who was shot and killed Sept. 6 during a protest in the West Bank. Israeli Defense Forces said it likely killed Eygi by mistake, and the government began a criminal investigation.

The Associated Press