Pagers, used every day by health care professionals, became a deadly weapon Tuesday as thousands of them simultaneously exploded in Lebanon.

Israel said a “new era” of war was beginning Wednesday, tacitly acknowledging its role in shock twin attacks targeting Hezbollah that have pushed the Middle East back to the brink of wider conflict.

At least 14 people have been killed and more than 450 others wounded by a second wave of explosions from wireless communication devices in Lebanon, the country’s health ministry says.