Israeli warplanes strike south Lebanon after Hezbollah chief denounces device attacks

Israeli warplanes carried out late on Thursday their most intense strikes on southern Lebanon in nearly a year of war, heightening the conflict between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah amid calls for restraint.

Israel's military said itsjets, over two hours on Thursday, struck hundreds of multiple-rocket-launcherbarrels in southern Lebanon that were set to be firedimmediately toward Israel. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The intense barrage followed attacks earlier in the weekattributed by Lebanon and Hezbollah to Israel that blew upHezbollah radios and pagers, killing 37 people and woundingabout 3,000 in Lebanon.

In a TV address on Thursday, Hezbollah leader HassanNasrallah said the device explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday"crossed all red lines."

"There is no doubt that we have been subjected to a major security and military blow that is unprecedented in the history of the resistance and unprecedented in the history of Lebanon," Nasrallah said in his address, filmed at an undisclosed location.

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Hezbollah blames Israel, swears revenge for exploding device attacks

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Hezbollah is promising revenge against Israel which it blames for thousands of exploding devices that have killed dozens over two days, including militant fighters across Lebanon. Israel did not admit responsibility, but did strike targets in southern Lebanon.

The White House said a diplomatic solution was achievableand urgent, and Britain called for an immediate ceasefirebetween Israel and Hezbollah. The U.S. is "afraid and concernedabout potential escalation," spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierretold a briefing.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said late on Thursday that Israel will keep up military action against Hezbollah.

"In the new phase of the war there are significant opportunities but also significant risks. Hezbollah feels that it is being persecuted and the sequence of military actions will continue," Gallant said in a statement.

"Our goal is to ensure the safe return of Israel's northern communities to their homes. As time goes by, Hezbollah will pay an increasing price."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his close circle of ministers for consultations, Israel's Channel 13 News reported.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah hoped Israeli troops would enter southern Lebanon, because that would create a "historic opportunity" for the Iran-backed group.

Attacks 'big, harsh blow,' Nasrallah says

No military escalation, killing, assassinations or all-out war would return Israeli residents to the border area, he added, referring to a top war priority for the Israeli government.

While Nasrallah described the attacks as unprecedented, accusing Israel of trying to kill 5,000 people, he also played down the impact on Hezbollah, saying the group's structure had not been shaken.

"Yes, we received a big and harsh blow, but this is also the nature of war," Nasrallah said. "We know that our enemy has superiority on the technological level and we have never said otherwise."

Israel will face "a crushing response from the axis of resistance," Iran's Revolutionary Guards Commander Hossein Salami told Nasrallah on Thursday, according to state media.

Speaking in Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged restraint, saying he did not want to see any escalatory actions by any party that make a Gaza ceasefire deal even more difficult.

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How did attackers turn Hezbollah's devices into bombs?

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After a second wave of deadly explosions in Lebanon, experts are now analyzing how attackers were able to penetrate Hezbollahs security to rig thousands of pagers and other devices with explosives.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in combat on Thursday in Israel's north, the Israeli military said.

Israel's N12 News said one of them was killed by a drone and the other by an anti-tank missile fired by Hezbollah across the Lebanese border.

Citizens asked to report any suspicious devices

The Lebanese army said on Thursday it was blowing up pagers and suspicious telecom devices in controlled blasts in different areas. It called on citizens to report any suspicious devices.

Lebanese authorities banned walkie-talkies and pagers from being taken on flights from Beirut airport until further notice, the National News Agency reported. Such devices were also banned from being shipped by air.

Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on the day after the Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which triggered the Gaza war, and since then, constant exchanges of fire have occurred. Although neither side has allowed this to escalate into a full-scale war, it has led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the border area on both sides.

"The Hezbollah terrorist organization has turned southern Lebanon into a combat zone. For decades, Hezbollah has weaponized civilian homes, dug tunnels beneath them, and used civilians as human shields," Israel's military said.

"The IDF[Israel Defence Forces]is operating to bring security to northern Israel in order to enable the return of residents to their homes, as well as to achieve all of the war goals."

Israel said its warplanes struck villages in southern Lebanon overnight, and a security source and Hezbollah's al-Manar TV reported airstrikes near the border began again on Thursday just after midday.