On September 18, hand-held radios used by Hezbollah exploded across southern Lebanon and in Beirut`s suburbs, increasing tensions with Israel. Lebanon`s health ministry reported that 14 people were killed and around 450 were injured. The death toll from explosions the previous day rose to 12, including two children. After the explosions, Hezbollah briefly struggled to regroup but claimed it had attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets. The Israeli military reported sirens in northern Israel but noted no damage or injuries. A senior Lebanese security source revealed that Israel`s Mossad agency had planted explosives in the pagers months earlier. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, called for an independent investigation into the explosions. Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel, which has been engaged in ongoing cross-border conflict since the Gaza conflict escalated. They warned Israel to expect a response to the "massacre" caused by the pager explosions.