Dr Ahron Bregman, senior teaching fellow at King's College London’s Department of War Studies, says: "These are anxious days for the people of the Middle East."

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) head of Northern Command said the IDF is at “peak readiness” amid escalating tensions with Hezbollah. After thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah exploded on September 17,

The Israel Defense Forces is striving to subdue Hezbollah’s threat on the Jewish state’s northern border with Lebanon, IDF Northern Command head Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin said on September 18th.

Former foreign minister Alexander Downer says Hezbollah knows their “lives are at risk” when deciding to attack Israel.

Fears of escalation have spiked as Hezbollah promised retaliation against Israel which it blames for an attack in which pagers simultaneously exploded. In a statement on Wednesday, the Lebanese armed group warned that Israel awaits “a difficult reckoning” for the coordinated attack on Tuesday,