Israeli pager attack aimed to ‘provoke a major war in the Middle East,’ says Russia

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Tuesday's Israeli-backed pager explosions in Lebanon, describing them as "another act of hybrid warfare" that targeted thousands of innocent civilians. 

In a statement, Zakharova said: “It appears that the organisers of this high-tech attack deliberately sought to foment a large-scale armed confrontation in order to provoke a major war in the Middle East.”

The ministry had earlier called for an investigation into the incident.