<b>Live updates: Follow the latest on</b><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/09/18/israel-gaza-war-live-pager-explosions/" target="_blank"><b> Israel-Gaza</b></a> <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/" target="_blank">Lebanon's</a> <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/09/11/israel-hezbollah-lebanon-gaza/" target="_blank">Hezbollah</a> militant group has opened an investigation into how<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/israel/" target="_blank"> Israel </a>sabotaged a shipment of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/09/17/what-we-know-about-the-pager-attacks-on-hezbollah/" target="_blank">pagers </a>used by its fighters, a security source said on Wednesday, after nine people were killed and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/09/18/lebanon-hospitals-pager-attack/" target="_blank">thousands injured</a> when the pagers simultaneously exploded. "A wide discussion started within the resistance to identify the source of the breach through which the enemy managed to infiltrate and carry out this massive operation,” the regional security source close to Hezbollah told <i>The National</i>. "It is a process that begins with how the enemy obtained information that secured access to the shipment of communication devices that exploded.” The focus of the investigation indicates that the<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/08/26/behind-scenes-talks-involving-iran-halted-greater-israel-hezbollah-conflict/" target="_blank"> Iran-backed group</a> so far believes that the devices were intercepted by Israeli intelligence agents before they were delivered to its members. The source stressed that the focus is also on knowing "what steps were taken to ensure that they reached the hands of the resistance fighters, what was the method of detonation, what are the losses and what's the impact on the resistance's operations”. The Hezbollah strategy to avoid Israeli electronic surveillance by using pagers instead of more easily trackable mobile phones backfired on Tuesday, when thousands of the devices simultaneously exploded, killing nine people and injuring 2,800. A child was among the dead. Several reports in Lebanese media, quoting security sources, said around 20 grams of explosives were hidden in each pager. "This was a massive security breach,” said the source, without elaborating on the number of devices tampered with. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/iran/" target="_blank">Iran's </a>ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amini, was among the wounded in Tuesday's attack. The embassy in Beirut said the envoy suffered "superficial injuries” and is in good condition, while Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sources told <i>The New York Times</i> the ambassador lost an eye in the attack. As many as 5,000 devices may have been sabotaged months before the attack, the outlet reported, saying the pagers detonated after receiving a message purported to be from Hezbollah leadership. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/09/18/lebanon-hospitals-pager-attack/" target="_blank">Hospitals</a> across Beirut were overwhelmed with casualties on Tuesday night, with survivors and relatives of the wounded describing "blood everywhere” and people missing limbs. Hezbollah has vowed Israel will receive "fair punishment” for the attack, which has not been publicly claimed by its neighbour. Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has also blamed Israel for the explosions. While reports suggest the pagers were manufactured by the Taiwan-based Gold Apollo Company, a representative denied the devices were theirs, saying they were made by another company licensed to use their brand. The security breach came at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel, with Israel's cabinet said to be readying to launch a full-scale offensive on its northern neighbour. It also came a day after US envoy <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/09/16/us-envoy-amos-hochstein-due-in-israel-as-lebanon-war-fears-grow/" target="_blank">Amos Hochstein</a> visited Israel in an effort to ease tensions, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a "fundamental change” was needed on the border, followed by reports he is planning to replace Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over his reluctance to invade Lebanon. Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed about 630 people, mostly militants but also at least 142 civilians, according to an AFP tally. Hezbollah announced the death of five more members on Wednesday morning, although it gave no details on the circumstances of how they were killed. Hours before Tuesday's attack, Israel said it had foiled a Hezbollah plot to assassinate a former security official. The Shin Bet intelligence service said a Hezbollah network linked to a September 2023 bombing in Tel Aviv's Yarkon park planned to remotely detonate a bomb from Lebanon. The unnamed security official was informed of the plot by intelligence officials.