Hezbollah launches new barrage of shelling at Israel as fears of larger war grow after electronic device bombardment

BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah launched a new barrage of fire in northern Israel on Thursday, continuing to exchange fire with the Israeli military as fears of a more serious war grow after hundreds of electronic devices An explosion occurred in Lebanon, killing at least 32 people and injuring over 3,000.

The explosions of the devices seemed to be the culmination Israel’s months-long operation to attack as many Hezbollah members as possible at once. For two days, pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded, wounding and even maiming some fighters, but also maiming civilians associated with the group’s social branches and killing at least two children.

It is not clear how the attack fits into warnings from Israeli leaders in recent weeks that may launch intensified military operation against HezbollahLebanon’s strongest armed force. The Israeli government has called it a war aimed at ending cross-border shelling by the Iranian-backed group so that tens of thousands of Israelis can return to their homes near the border.

Speaking to Israeli soldiers on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: “We are at the beginning of a new phase of the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance.” He did not mention the explosive devices but praised the work of the Israeli military and security agencies, saying the “results are very impressive.”

Gallant said that after months Fighting Hamas in Gaza“the center of gravity is shifting north through redirection of resources and forces.”

Hezbollah said Thursday morning it had attacked military positions in northern Israel, without saying what kind of weapon was used. Israeli hospitals said they were treating at least eight patients wounded in the attacks. The military said Thursday morning it had struck several militant locations in southern Lebanon overnight.

The series of attacks was a signal from Hezbollah that it would continue the daily shelling, which it says is an expression of support for Hamas in the face of Israel’s 11-month-long campaign in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian militants on Israel.

Israel responded to Hezbollah’s shelling with strikes in southern Lebanon and hit senior members of the group in the capital Beirut. The exchanges killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, and forced tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border to evacuate.

Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly withdrawn from all-out war under intense pressure from the United States, France and other countries.

However, in their latest warnings, Israeli leaders said they were determined to radically change the status quo.

Israel began moving more troops to its border with Lebanon on Wednesday as a precaution, Israeli officials said. Israel’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said plans were being drawn up for additional actions against Hezbollah, although media reports said the government had not yet decided whether to launch a major offensive in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Lebanon has still not recovered from the unprecedented indiscriminate bombings that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The explosions have shocked worried Lebanese who fear a full-scale war. The Lebanese army said it was locating and detonating suspicious pagers and communication devices, while the country’s civil aviation authority banned the use of pagers and walkie-talkies on all flights departing from Beirut International Airport until further notice.

The attack would likely severely disrupt internal Hezbollah communications as it tries to find secure ways to communicate with each other. Hezbollah announced the deaths of five fighters today, but did not specify whether they died in the explosions or on the front lines.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was scheduled to speak on Thursday evening, and the group has vowed to retaliate against Israel.

Explosions occurred wherever pagers and walkie-talkies were present in various parts of Beirut and eastern and southern Lebanon — in homes and cars, grocery stores and cafes, on the streets, and even at funerals of those killed in the attacks, often with family and other witnesses nearby.

Many suffered massive wounds to their legs, stomachs and faces, or were lacerated in the hands. Tuesday’s pager blasts killed 12 people, including two children, and injured about 2,800 others. The next day, an explosion killed 20 people and injured more than 450.

Health Minister Firas Abiad praised Lebanese hospitals, saying they had managed to cope with the influx of wounded within hours. “It was a disorderly attack. It was a war crime,” he said.

Mary Ellen O’Connell, a professor of law and international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said booby traps are banned under international law. “Using an item used by civilians as a weapon is strictly prohibited,” she said.