Dr Firass Abiad, the country's minister of public health, says nine have died and thousands more are injured after pagers being used by Hezbollah exploded in southern Beirut and several other areas of the country.

Pagers used by Hezbollah have exploded simultaneously, with almost 3,000 people reported to have been injured. The Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group, which is banned as a terrorist organisation in the UK, US and other countries, says an investigation into the cause is under way.

Here's what we know so far:

Hezbollah says two of its fighters and an eight-year-old girl have been killed. The Lebanese health ministry say eight people have been killed and at least 2,750 injured. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon - Mojtaba Amani - is reportedly among the injured.

A statement from the group says Israel is "fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians". It says "this treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly receive its just punishment".

That's according to reports from local media in Lebanon. The country's information minister Ziad Makary has condemned the pager blasts as "Israeli aggression" according to Lebanon's Al-Manar TV broadcaster.

We've not yet had a statement from the Israeli military, who have been engaged in cross-border fire with Hezbollah for months. The explosions come hours after Israel made the return of residents displaced by Hezbollah attacks one of its war goals.

(Source: BBC)