Daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel have been destructive, disruptive and sometimes deadly. An escalation could risk starting a wider regional conflict.

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?

Khaled Meshal, one of Hamas’s most senior officials, said in an interview that the militant group expects to play a decisive role in the enclave when the war is over.

Hezbollah threatened Israel after thousands of its members’ pagers exploded across Lebanon, killing 12. Israel has not commented on whether it was responsible.

One Hezbollah official said the episode was the biggest security breach in the group's history. The operations, which appeared to throw Hezbollah into disarray, played out alongside Israel's 11-month-old war in Gaza and heightened fears of an escalation on its Lebanese border and the risk of a full-blown regional war.

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

The Lebanese armed group blamed Israel for blowing up pagers, killing 11 and injuring thousands. The Taiwanese company some officials named as the manufacturer sought to distance itself from the devices.