Israel declares ‘new phase’ of war with Lebanon despite calls to calm tensions

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared what he called a “new phase” in the war with militant groups in the region and said troops would be diverted to the Lebanese border, an indication that long-held fears of a wider conflict may soon be realized.

More military resources will be deployed to the north of the country, where Israel has been exchanging rocket fire with Hezbollah militants for almost a year, Gallant told forces at the Ramat David airbase on Wednesday. 

His comments came after waves of exploding telecommunications devices in Lebanon killed 26 people over two days and wounded more than 3,000, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.