At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon. The blasts started in the southern suburbs of Beirut and the eastern Bekaa valley, strongholds of the anti-Israel militant group Hezbollah. The explosions were relatively contained and did not cause major damage to buildings or start any fires. The pagers that exploded were made by Gold Apollo, a Taiwan-based pager manufacturer. The cause of the explosions is still under investigation, with speculation ranging from overheating batteries to Israeli infiltration of the supply chain. The implications for the Israel-Hezbollah conflict are uncertain, with some experts suggesting a potential disruption of Hezbollah's operations and others warning of the possibility of full-scale war if diplomacy fails.