A senior U.S. official has confirmed to Fox News that Israel is behind the explosions of pagers used by members of Hezbollah in Lebanon as fresh blasts are being reported in Beirut.
Near-simultaneous detonations of pagers used by those belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group killed at least 12 people, including two children, and wounded nearly 3,000 on Tuesday.
The development comes as multiple blasts were heard in Beruit on Wednesday during a funeral for Hezbollah members and a child that were killed in the explosions, according to The Associated Press.
Hezbollah also is claiming Wednesday to have attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets in the wake of the blasts, Reuters reports.
When asked this morning about the pager explosions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said “the United States, did not know about, nor was it involved in, these incidents.
“And we’re still gathering, the information and gathering the facts. Broadly speaking, we’ve been very clear and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we’re trying to resolve in Gaza,” Blinken added. “To see it spread to other fronts. It’s clearly not in the interest of anyone involved to see that happen. And that’s why, again, it’s imperative that all parties refrain from any actions that could, escalate the conflict.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.