* Experts believe that the scale of the blasts indicates careful planning beforehand and highlights Hezbollah's vulnerability to Israeli intelligence.

* The recent explosions add a new layer to the ongoing 11-month clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, marked by deadly Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah's attacks on northern Israel.

* Eyal Zisser, vice-rector of Tel Aviv University and an expert on Middle Eastern affairs, said the explosions "won't bring the war with Hezbollah any closer to a conclusion, and now everyone is waiting for Hezbollah's response."

Jerusalem/Beirut - Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Wednesday that Israel has entered a "new phase" in its conflict with Hezbollah after two waves of explosions killed 32 people and injured more than 3,200 others in Lebanon over the past two days.

"We are at the beginning of a new phase in the war -- this requires boldness, determination, and perseverance," Gallant said at a military airbase in northern Israel, adding Israel is "shifting northward by reallocating resources, energy, and forces."

No Israeli officials, including Gallant, have claimed responsibility for the explosions, which Hezbollah attributed to Israel.

A Hezbollah member holds a wireless communication device with its battery removed after a wireless communication device exploded during a funeral, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 18, 2024. (Photo/Bilal Jawich, Xinhua)

Two waves of explosions

On Tuesday, simultaneous pager explosions in Lebanon killed 12 people, including two children, and injured 2,800 others, Lebanon's health authorities said.

The second wave of blasts on Wednesday afternoon hit Beirut's southern suburb and other areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, killing 20 people and injuring 450 others, the Health Ministry said. The devices used were old walkie-talkie models from the Japanese firm ICOM, which had been rigged with explosives before being sent to Lebanon, according to local media.

TV footage showed smoke rising from cars, motorcycles, apartments and a roadside shop after the devices detonated. Reports indicate that Hezbollah purchased the devices, including pagers, five months ago, and they were likely modified or sabotaged before reaching the group.

Many victims sustained injuries to their faces, eyes, ears and waists. Experts believe that the scale of the blasts indicates careful planning beforehand and highlights Hezbollah's vulnerability to Israeli intelligence.

People attend a funeral of victims killed in pager explosions in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 18, 2024. (Photo/Bilal Jawich, Xinhua)

Orna Mizrahi, a senior researcher at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, noted that damaging Hezbollah's communications and personnel would have operational consequences.

"By doing this, Israel wanted to send a strong message by disrupting the communications network and confusing Hezbollah's reserve force in any upcoming military action," said Refaat Badawi, a political analyst and adviser to former Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss.

Youssef Diab, a political analyst at the Lebanese University, said the explosions would mean that "Israel has reduced Hezbollah's attacking or defensive capability for the next war."

Shift of military focus

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have escalated since Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in support of Hamas. Israel retaliated with artillery fire into southeastern Lebanon. The conflict has resulted in hundreds of deaths in Lebanon, and Hezbollah claims its attacks have inflicted casualties in Israel.

The recent explosions add a new layer to the ongoing 11-month clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, marked by deadly Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah's attacks on northern Israel.

This photo taken on Sept. 16, 2024 shows smoke rising after an air raid by Israeli warplanes in Kfarchouba, Lebanon. (Photo/Ali Hashisho, Xinhua)

The explosions followed Israel's shift in military focus from the Gaza Strip to northern Israel while Gaza ceasefire talks stalled. Israel's security cabinet decided earlier on Tuesday to expand the goals of the military operation in the Gaza Strip to include the safe return of residents in northern Israel who were evacuated due to the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border.

In a statement released after Tuesday's attacks, Hezbollah said it is conducting security and scientific investigations to identify the reasons behind these explosions, adding that the group is "at the highest level of readiness to defend Lebanon and its people."

In a separate statement, the Shiite group blamed Israel for "this criminal attack," and vowed to retaliate.

Response to explosions

On Wednesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said that the widespread and simultaneous explosions of communication devices across Lebanon are shocking, with an unacceptable impact on civilians.

Turk stated that targeting thousands of individuals simultaneously, without knowing who possessed the devices, their locations, or their surroundings at the time of the attack, whether they are civilians or armed group members, constitutes a violation of international human rights law and, where applicable, international humanitarian law.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib denounced the incidents as "a blatant assault on Lebanon's sovereignty and security and a clear violation of all international conventions and norms."

The Palestinian presidency warned of the serious escalation that "violates" Lebanese sovereignty and threatens international peace and security, calling on the international community to take urgent action to prevent further escalation in the region.

During a meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi voiced Egypt's rejection of attempts to escalate and expand the scope of conflicts in the region, calling on all parties to exercise responsibility.

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs expressed concern over the recent security developments in Lebanon, warning that they could contribute to a dangerous escalation of tensions in the region.

The ministry called on Israel to exercise the utmost restraint regarding military activities in Lebanon and urged Hezbollah to cease attacks on Israeli territory.

This photo taken on Sept. 18, 2024 shows motorcycles damaged in explosions of communication devices in Baalbek, Lebanon. (Photo/Taher Abu Hamdan, Xinhua)

Eyal Zisser, vice-rector of Tel Aviv University and an expert on Middle Eastern affairs, said the explosions "won't bring the war with Hezbollah any closer to a conclusion, and now everyone is waiting for Hezbollah's response."

He believed that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah would "continue as a war of attrition," but said "it is unlikely to cause a major escalation."

"Any significant escalation would be tied to Israel's decision to expand the conflict, not this particular incident," he added.