Israeli warplanes pounded on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Thursday, hitting hundreds of rocket launcher barrels that were about to be used to immediately fire towards Israeli territory, the military stated.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) stated that since the afternoon, warplanes had hit some 100 rocket launchers consisting of around 1000 barrels, news agency Reuters reported.
This came hours after Hezbollah's chief, Hassan Nasrallah, threatened “tough retribution and just punishment” for the back-to-back attacks that trampled on the militant group's communication infrastructure with explosives hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies.
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The White House on Thursday stressed the need for a diplomatic solution to mitigate the escalating tension in the Middle East, with spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre expressing concern about potential war.
"A diplomatic solution in the Middle East is achievable and is urgent," the White House said.
Lebanese authorities have determined that communication devices that exploded in Lebanon this week had been rigged with explosives before entering the country, according to a letter from Lebanon's UN (United Nations) mission to the Security Council.
The devices, including pagers and hand-held radios, were detonated remotely via electronic messages, the letter seen by Reuters on Thursday stated. Lebanon’s mission further accused Israel of orchestrating and carrying out the attacks.
Hsu Ching-kuang, the president and founder of Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese pager company linked to the explosion of thousands of pagers targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, was questioned by prosecutors late into the night on Thursday before being released, news agency Reuters reported.
Hsu stated that Gold Apollo did not manufacture the devices used in the attacks. He claimed the pagers were made by Budapest-based company BAC, which holds a licence to use the Gold Apollo brand.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah stated that Israel had crossed a “red line” this week following bombings widely attributed to Israel, which involved the remote detonation of hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, news agency Associated Press reported.
The attacks on Hezbollah's communications equipment killed 37 people and wounded around 3,000, raising fears that a full-blown war was imminent.
As Israel's war stretches into its 11th month, the explosion of pagers and walkie-talkies in its northern adversary has opened a new front, sparking fears of an all-out war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has issued a warning against any escalation of the war in the Middle East. "France and the United States stand united in calling for restraint and urging de-escalation, particularly concerning Lebanon and the region as a whole," he said.
On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated that it was entering "a new phase" of war, a day after at least 12 people were killed after pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded in Lebanon.
"We are opening a new phase in the war - it requires courage, determination and perseverance from us," he was quoted as saying at an air force base by news agency Reuters.
Israel has remained silent on its involvement in the pager and walkie-talkie attacks, neither confirming nor denying responsibility. However, several security sources have suggested that the operation was carried out by Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency.
Since the Gaza war erupted last October, Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been engaged in a fierce cross-border conflict, marking the most intense escalation between them in years.
