Israeli jets and artillery hit multiple targets in southern Lebanon overnight, Israel's military said on Thursday, amid spiralling tensions following the mass attack on Hezbollah communications devices this week.

Israel’s government is in turmoil and the United States is trying to head off a wider conflict in Lebanon, leaving officials to wonder about the timing of the attack.

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?

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to return tens of thousands of residents evacuated from northern border areas to their homes, amid mounting tensions with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.

Israel said enabling residents displaced by Hezbollah attacks to return home is now a formal war objective, signaling the country is closer to an all-out offensive against the Lebanese militant group.

Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several occasions and forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate their homes.