As dozens of walkie-talkies exploded across Lebanon on Wednesday – a day after blasts targeting the pagers of Hezbollah members injured thousands – Israel said a “new era” of war was beginning, tacitly acknowledging its role in a shock operation that has pushed the region back to the brink of wider conflict.

In both cases the devices were used by members of Hizbullah, the Shia militia that has fired rockets at Israel for almost a year. At least nine people were killed and 450 injured in the latest attack,

Exploding devices in Lebanon and escalating rhetoric from Israel’s leaders have raised the specter of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah