Israel carried out one of the most intense bombardments of the past year, as warplanes launched 70 airstrikes, Lebanese security officials said. The barrage came shortly after Hezbollah’s leader vowed to respond after explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies killed at least 37 people.

Hundreds of pagers belonging to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have simultaneously exploded across Lebanon. At the time of publishing, at least nine people have been killed and 2,750 wounded, according to security services and the Lebanese health minister.

Lebanon has been targeted twice in the past two days by exploding pagers and handheld radios in deadly attacks that have killed more than two dozen people and wounded thousands. The explosions

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,

In Lebanon, exploding pagers and booby-trapped walkie-talkies – believed to be set off by Israel – have rattled Hezbollah and captured the world’s attention. What do they portend?

Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Wednesday it attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets in the first cross-border attack since the Tuesday pager blasts.

The IDF said the targets were ready to be used “in the immediate future” to fire into Israeli territory. (Credit: IDF)