Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on "all parties" to avoid escalating the regional conflict caused by the war between Hamas and Israel. Speaking in Cairo, Egypt, Blinken said the U.S. had no knowledge of or involvement in "these incidents" in which at least nine people were killed and thousands injured by exploding pagers in Lebanon.

Hezbollah blamed Israel for the simultaneous blasts that ripped across the Beirut suburbs when the pocket-sized devices exploded.