A wave of deadly explosions of pagers and other electronic devices carried by militants in Lebanon has sharply heightened Pentagon concern about a potential ground war erupting in southern Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.

U.S. officials say Israel warned U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a call Tuesday that a military operation was going to take place in Lebanon.

The Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Thursday, shortly before the movement's leader was due to give a speech. It also said the military chief of staff had approved plans for Israel's north,

Israel’s defense minister has declared the start of a “new phase” of the war as Israel turns its focus toward the northern front against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon

By Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli warplanes carried out late on Thursday their most intense strikes on south Lebanon in nearly a year of war, Lebanese security sources said,

Lebanon’s health ministry says at least 20 people were killed and 450 others wounded by exploding electronic devices in multiple regions of the country

Ethan Bronner, Bloomberg News Israel Bureau Chief, joins Bloomberg Intelligence to give an update on the exploding devices in Lebanon. (Source: Bloomberg)

The attack came as the militant group’s leader said two days of pager and walkie-talkie explosions amounted to a declaration of war.

The Israeli military launched a new wave of strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Thursday, after two days of device explosions that left the Middle East fearing all-out war.