UPDATE - Pager detonations across Lebanon 'extremely concerning': UN

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By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Deadly pager detonations across Lebanon are "extremely concerning," a UN official said Tuesday.

"This story was unfolding just before the briefing. We're obviously very much aware of what we've seen in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon. I can tell you these developments are extremely concerning, especially given that this is taking place in within a context that is extremely volatile," spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

At least eight people were killed and 2,750 wounded in simultaneous detonations of pagers in Lebanon.

Dujarric said the UN does not have any more information than what is being reported in the media.

"We, of course, deplore the civilian casualties that we've seen, but we're watching the situation," he added.

A Lebanese official said the government condemned the detonations as "Israeli aggression."

Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah confirmed that two of its members were killed and many injured in the explosions.

The explosions came amid an exchange of cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel against the backdrop of a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 41,200 victims, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last Oct. 7.