Thousands of pagers belonging to Hezbollah militants simultaneously exploding, many of them exploding in the pockets of those carrying them.

The explosions killing at least nine people and wounding thousands.

ABC's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent, Martha Radetz, reporting from the region tonight.

Tonight, shockwaves and panic across Lebanon after a stunning, unprecedented attack, both widespread and personal.

Thousands of pagers belonging to Hezbollah militants exploding simultaneously, leaving at least 2,800 wounded, including civilians, and at least nine dead, including a child.

The wireless devices blowing up in cans, pockets, and here you see a shopping bag.

Another security video shows a man reaching for his pocket before it explodes.

The scream of ambulances reverberating through cities one after another.

Graphic images, which we have blurred, emerging from hospitals showing fingers blown off, faces badly bloodied, and torsos and thighs ripped apart.

Iran's ambassador to Lebanon also injured, but not seriously.

Back in February, Hezbollah's leader telling his operatives to get rid of mobile phones, calling them a deadly agent.

An intelligence source telling ABC that the Israelis have long been working to perfect what they call a supply chain interdiction attack.

Former State Department official Steve Ganyard explains how that might work.

The Israelis likely saw an opportunity, bought up thousands of pagers, took them apart, inserted explosives, and then put them back on the market to sell directly to Hezbollah, and then using the radio frequencies that normally bring data into that pager, they simultaneously detonated all of the pagers.

Israel has not claimed responsibility and has not commented, but tonight, Lebanon's Council of Ministers calling the attack criminal Israeli aggression on a sovereign country, and Hezbollah warning that a response is coming.

The targeted explosions followed warnings from Israeli leaders that they might ramp up the military campaign against Hezbollah after months of tension on the border and a regular exchange of missiles and rockets.

U.S. officials believe there will be a response by Hezbollah, but it may take some time.

Hezbollah has not only lost a principal way it communicates, but had operatives killed, and hundreds, if not thousands, of wounded operatives put out of commission for weeks, if not months, to come.

David.

Martha Raddatz on this breaking story from the region tonight.

Martha, thank you.