Escalation fears spike as Hezbollah vows retaliation for pager attack

Ambulances are surrounded by people at the entrance of the American University of Beirut Medical Center after explosions hit locations in several Hezbollah strongholds, September 17 [Anwar Amro/AFP]

Fears of escalation have spiked as Hezbollah promised retaliation against Israel which it blames for an attack in which pagers simultaneously exploded.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Lebanese armed group warned that Israel awaits “a difficult reckoning” for the coordinated attack on Tuesday, which killed 12 people and injured more than 2,800 in Lebanon and in parts of Syria.