Israel announces 'new phase' in war, emphasizing northern front

Israel will turn its focus in the nearly year-old conflict which began on October toward its northern border with Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday.

"The center of gravity is moving from Gaza to the north through the diversion of resources and forces. We are opening a new phase in the war," Gallant said.

The remarks came as explosions targeting communication devices owned by Hezbollah fighters rocked Lebanon for a second day, killing nearly thirty people in total and injuring over 3,000 including Tehran's ambassador to Beirut Mojtaba Amini.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attacks but Hezbollah blames the Jewish state and has vowed revenge.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel will ensure that tens of thousands of residents evacuated from northern border areas will be able to go back home.

"I have said it before; we will return the citizens of the north to their homes safely and that's exactly what we are going to do," he said in a brief video statement, giving no further details.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese citizens have also fled their homes since the start of cross-border combat since Hezbollah began trading fire with Israeli forces following the attack of their Palestinian allies Hamas on Israel on October 7.

Israel emphasized securing its frontier with Lebanon as a key war goal and equipped border forces with thousands of advanced new rifles on Monday, a day before an apparent Israeli attack detonated pagers carried by Hezbollah members across Lebanon.

"We still have many capabilities that we have not yet activated," Israeli army chief General Herzi Halevi told top commanders on a visit to Israel's north on Wednesday

"The rule is that every time we work on a certain stage, the next two stages are already ready to advance. At each stage, the price for Hezbollah must be higher."