Hezbollah says it is in 'new confrontation'

Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, said Wednesday that the group will respond to Tuesday's pager explosion attack with “special punishment."

The group is in a “new confrontation with the enemy," Safieddine said.

Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded almost simultaneously Tuesday across Lebanon and in parts of Syria, killing at least 12 people, government and Hezbollah officials said.

Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack. The Israeli military declined to comment.

A second wave of device explosion rocked Lebanon on Wednesday, this time targeting walkie-talkies carried by Hezbollah members. The blasts killed nine people and wounded over 300 others.