Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded almost simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people, government and Hezbollah officials said. Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack.

Israel has been implicated in a series of pager explosions that killed at least 37 people and injured nearly 3,000 in Lebanon this week, according to sources familiar with the operation. The devices,