Israel briefed US on pager blasts targeting Hezbollah after operation: Report

The United States, initially, said it did not have any prior information on the Lebanon pager blasts and washed its hands of the incident.

In Short

• The US, initially, said it did not have any prior information on the operation
• Urges Iran not to heighten tensions
• 9 dead, 3,000 injured in pager blasts in Hezbollah strongholds

A US official said Israel had briefed the Joe Biden administration on the Lebanon pager explosions hours after the operation concluded, The Associated Press reported. Initially, the US State Department said it did not have any prior information on the attack while washing its hands of the incident.

The pagers, used by members of militant outfit Hezbollah, detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday, killing nine people and injuring over 3,000. Among those injured was Iran's ambassador to Lebanon.

While the Iran-backed militant group blamed Israel's spy agency Mossad for the deadly explosions, the Benjamin Netanyahu-led regime has stayed mum so far.

Hezbollah, which has been exchanging cross-border fire with Israel since the war in Gaza began last year, has warned of retribution, saying the country would get its "fair punishment".

The United States, Israel's closest ally, has urged Iran not to heighten tensions. Speaking at a press conference, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller was more circumspect, saying the US would continue to push for a diplomatic resolution.

"I can tell you that the US was not involved in it. The US was not aware of this incident in advance," he said.

"Our overall policy remains consistent, which is, we do want to see a diplomatic resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah," Miller said.

Hezbollah members had recently ditched cellphones for pagers to prevent Israel from tracking the group's movements. The consignment of the pagers, developed by Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, was recently received by Hezbollah.

Lebanese security officials have claimed that Mossad intercepted the consignment and planted a small amount of explosives inside the pagers in a case of a 'supply chain attack'.

The attack is likely to further escalate tensions in the Middle East already heightened over Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.