Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday 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.
Meanwhile, Israeli Army chief Herzi Halevi said that they have many “capabilities”, which they had “not yet activated”.
“We plan ahead in stages. “The price paid by Hezbollah should be high at all stages,” he said, according to Reuters.
The explosion of Hezbollah pagers injured around 2,750 persons.
At least 14 people were killed and another 450 were injured when walkie-talkies and other electronic devices used by Hezbollah members burst on Wednesday, one day after the pager blasts.
Lebanese internal security forces reported many wireless communication devices were detonated around the nation on Tuesday, particularly in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. The Hezbollah leadership claimed that there was a “Israeli breach” of their communications.
According to reports, Israel’s espionage service, Mossad, put explosives inside Hezbollah-imported pagers.
However, a Taiwanese pager manufacturer denied producing the pager devices that burst in an audacious strike, raising the risk of a full-fledged confrontation between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.
Notably, Hezbollah advised its members to eschew mobile phones once the Israel-Hamas war began in October of last year, instead relying on its own telecommunications system to prevent Israeli incursions.
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