Israel bombed southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it had thwarted an Iranian-led assassination plot after explosions in booby-trapped radios and pagers in the past two days caused bloody havoc in the ranks of its arch-foe Hezbollah.

Nine people, including a child, have been killed after handheld pagers used by members of the armed group Hezbollah to communicate exploded across Lebanon, the country’s health minister says. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was among 2,800 other people who were wounded by the simultaneous blasts in Beirut and several other regions.

Local sources report that Israel hacked the devices, causing the explosions – Watch video of the explosion moments

As the broadcast was aired, deafening sonic booms from Israeli warplanes shook Beirut, a sound that has become common in recent months but has taken on a greater significance as t

New explosions linked to electronic devices killed at least one person and injured at least 100, a day after pagers used by Hezbollah exploded, wounding thousands.

The IDF said the targets were ready to be used “in the immediate future” to fire into Israeli territory. (Credit: IDF)

The source of Wednesday’s explosions was not immediately clear, but the blasts came a day after thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah blew up across Lebanon.

Israel launched a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, just as the militant group’s leader said two days of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies amounted to a declaration of war.