NEW YORK, September 18. /TASS/. Israel told the United States about the operation planned to be carried out in Lebanon on September 17, but provided no details about what it was planning, CNN said citing sources.

It was reported that Israeli officials had not notified their US counterparts until reports of hundreds of exploding pagers started coming from Lebanon.

CNN said that US diplomats were taken by surprise when explosions came as Secretary of State Antony Blinken was traveling to Cairo. Trying to avoid any escalation, the United States conveyed to Iran via a back channel that they were not involved in the attack.

On September 17, many pagers exploded almost simultaneously in different parts of Lebanon. According to the country’s Health Ministry, twelve people were killed, including two children, and 2,800 more were hospitalized. The Shiite movement Hezbollah blamed the explosions on Israel and promised a "just response." According to one version, the incident was a result of a cyberattack. The pagers were reportedly brought to Lebanon for Hezbollah supporters in the spring of this year with explosive devices already embedded in them.

On September 18, a new wave of explosions swept across Lebanon. This time, walkie talkies, phones, fingerprint scanners, as well as devices operating on solar and lithium-ion batteries exploded. At least nine people were killed and 300 more injured.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Russian television that "the traces" of the pager attack in Lebanon originated outside the country and labeled it as a manifestation of international terrorism. The diplomat added that the terrorist attack is terrifying as it is part of a plan to foment global armed confrontation in the Middle East.