Since the 7 October attacks, there has been a near-daily exchange of rocket and missile attacks between Israeli forces and Hezbollah across the Israel-Lebanon border.

In a statement this morning, the IDF says its air force hit several Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon overnight. The targets included military buildings and a weapons store, it says.

More than 40 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel on Wednesday, according to Israeli media.

Image source, Reuters

The use of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies could be a "criminal act", a leading barrister has told the BBC.

Speaking to Radio 4's The World Tonight, Sir Geoffrey Nice KC - who led the war crimes prosecution of Slobodan Milosevic - said there were several reasons the tactic could be illegal.

"Distributed in the way they had been, without any certain knowledge of where they would be at the time of activation, it might have been in the hands of members of Hezbollah but who were non-combatants," he said.

"Non-combatants are not entitled to be treated by... random bombs in the way these have happened.

"The second possibility is that this is simply an attack on civilians, and it's conceptually pretty much the same as Hamas unguided missiles into non-military parts of Israel.

"And then thirdly... is the question of proportionality, even if there was any justification in law for what it's assumed Israel has been doing."

As a reminder, the blasts in Lebanon have been widely blamed on Israeli spy agency Mossad - but Israel has declined to comment.

Nafiseh Kohnavard
Reporting from Beirut

On Wednesday, I spoke to Dr Nour El Osta, from the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Beirut, about what she saw following Tuesday's pager attacks.

"It was a normal day at the beginning of the day, until it wasn’t anymore," she told me.

"It unfortunately reminded us of the 4 August 2020 explosion [when more than 200 people were killed in Beirut port] but it was also different."

She said "we received too many similar injuries... all patients had lost fingers or had eye injuries. It was something we never had seen before."

Due to security concerns, we were not allowed to talk to the patients or their families, as they're mainly members of Hezbollah.

In the hospital garden, there were family members of the wounded Hezbollah members. All looked exhausted. Some women were crying.

Tom Bateman
BBC State Department correspondent, Washington DC

Among officials in Washington, the mood is reminiscent of the aftermath of two previous Israeli attacks - the deadly strike on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus in April; and the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

In both cases the US distanced itself from the Israeli actions, fearing they could provide the spark for a regional war - but braced for the response by preparing to shield its ally both diplomatically and militarily.

In his usual carefully prepared and diplomatically guarded language, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the US was "still gathering the information" about the exploding pagers.

But behind the scenes, there will be another scramble in Washington to help protect Israel, this time from a potential response from Hezbollah.

Nevertheless, there is again a barely concealed sense of exasperation at the chance the attacks could amount to a significant miscalculation.

Image source, Reuters

As hundreds of walkie-talkies exploded across Lebanon yesterday, attention turned to the devices themselves - and how they exploded.

The Japanese firm which apparently makes them says production on that model stopped 10 years ago.

Icom describes the IC-V82 as a handheld radio which was exported to the Middle East from 2004 to 2014 and has not been shipped since then. The manufacturing of the batteries has also stopped, it says.

The company says it isn't possible to confirm whether the IC-V82s that exploded in yesterday's attacks were shipped directly from Icom, or via a distributor.

But the models may not even be from Icom.

Earlier, a sales executive at the US subsidiary of Icom told AP the devices that exploded in Lebanon appeared to be a knock-off product – adding it was easy to find counterfeit versions of the product online.

• Read more about the pagers that exploded on Tuesday here

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

America’s top diplomat, Antony Blinken, will meet European counterparts in Paris today for talks about the deepening crisis in the Middle East.

The meeting has long been in the diary. State Department officials said Blinken, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and their French and Italian counterparts would discuss shared priorities - including the Middle East and Ukraine.

But diplomats said the talks would inevitably focus on the mass indiscriminate communication attacks against Hezbollah members and others in Lebanon.

And the question will be what - if anything – can be done to avoid further escalation.

Blinken says it is imperative no side does anything to spread the conflict further. And he says the solution to cross-border tensions between Israel and Hezbollah remains a ceasefire in Gaza.

But it is not clear how much Israel’s government shares that analysis. Diplomats talk openly about the risks of a wider war.

Image source, EPA

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Image source, EPA

Yesterday was the deadliest day in Lebanon since a new round of cross-border fighting between Hezbollah and Israel began nearly a year ago, stoked by the war in Gaza.

Israel is reportedly now moving more of its forces to the northern border with Lebanon. In comments last night declaring a "new phase" of war, Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant said "the centre of gravity" was moving north.

The entire region will now be listening closely when Hassan Nasrallah - the head of Hezbollah - speaks in a televised address this afternoon, expected at 15:00 BST.

His Iran-backed armed group has been hurt and humiliated by the extraordinary attacks on its communications network - and has vowed "just punishment".

Lebanon is on edge today, after thousands of devices exploded across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Yesterday, exploding walkie-talkies killed 20 people and injured at least 450. Exploding pagers killed 12 on Tuesday - including two children - and injured nearly 3,000.

Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says a "new phase" of the war is beginning and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is is "diverting forces, resources and energy" toward the country's northern border with Lebanon.

We'll be providing updates throughout the day from London, Beirut, and across the region, so stay with us.

Image source, Reuters

Ben Hatton
Live reporter

A second attack causing hand-held communication devices to explode in Lebanon - today walkie-talkies, yesterday pagers - saw more mass casualties and rising fears that the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah will escalate.

Here's a brief rundown of the day:

• Exploding walkie-talkies killed 20 and injured at least 450 people, according to Lebanon's health ministry
• On Tuesday, exploding pagers killed 12, including two children, and left almost 3,000 injured
• Multiple sources say Israel was targeting Hezbollah fighters in Tuesday's explosions
• Israel has not explicitly commented on the blasts, but has said today that it's "opening a new phase in the war" and the "centre of gravity" is shifting to the north - where it borders Lebanon - with the "diversion of resources and forces"
• A source later confirmed to the BBC that the 98th division of the Israeli military has relocated from Gaza to the north of Israel

We're pausing our live coverage for now - but you can continue reading about how the day unfolded here. If it's an explainer you're after we have one here on what we know about the blasts or for some analysis, try this from our international editor Jeremy Bowen.

James Cook
Newscast presenter

We've been following all the latest reports coming out of Lebanon.

And I've been speaking to the BBC's international editor Jeremy Bowen and our security correspondent Frank Gardner about how the pagers and walkie-talkies could have been rigged with explosives, why the attack was carried out, and what it might mean for the Middle East and the world.

Have a listen to Newcast's latest episode here.

We're seeing new images from inside Lebanon's capital Beirut.

Military personnel are pictured moments after what photographers at the scene describe as a controlled explosion of a walkie-talkie in the car park of the American University of Beirut Medical Center.

Take a look:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

The death toll from today's blasts in Lebanon has risen to 20, the country's health ministry says.

We have not received an updated figure for how many have been injured, but Lebanon's health ministry earlier said it was at least 450 people.

Image source, Reuters

Among those wounded in yesterday's pager attack in Lebanon was Iran’s ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani.

The Iranian ambassador to the UN, in a letter reported by the Iranian state news agency, reiterates that his country blames Israel and accuses it of committing acts of a "terrorist nature".

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will duly follow up on the attack against its ambassador in Lebanon, which resulted in his injury, and reserves its rights under international law to take required measures deemed necessary to respond to such a heinous crime and violation," says Amir Saeid Iravani.

Iran's UN envoy also says "Western countries, especially the United States as a strategic ally, by their unwavering so-called ironclad support for this regime, bear international responsibility" for Israel's acts.

Amani's wife, Narges Qadirian, said earlier that he was "slightly" injured and had been taken to hospital, but was doing well.

• A reminder: Israel has not explicitly commented on the attacks.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Getty Images

Here in Washington DC, national security spokesman John Kirby has told reporters he has "nothing to share" when asked whether the US was informed of any operation in Lebanon.

"What I can tell you is we were not involved... in any way," Kirby says during a White House briefing.

He adds that it would be "difficult" to determine how the events in Lebanon would change the wider war and said that a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel is "increasingly difficult".

"We don't want to see an escalation, of any kind," he says, adding that additional military operations were not the way to solve the crisis.

"We believe the best way to avoid escalation, or the opening of another front in Lebanon, is diplomacy."

Daniel De Simone
Reporting from Jerusalem

The 98th division of the Israeli military has today relocated from Gaza to the north of Israel, a source has confirmed to the BBC. It had been fighting until recently in the Gaza Strip.

Until now, there was one division in the north - the 36th division - meaning this move will significantly increase the forces there. Two divisions remain focused on Gaza.

Israel’s northern border with Lebanon is where conflict has been taking place with Hezbollah since October last year.

As we've been reporting, around 60,000 Israelis have been displaced in the region due to exchanges of fire with Hezbollah - this week Israel’s government made their return a core war goal.

Earlier, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant also said the country was "opening a new phase in the war" - and that the "centre of gravity is shifting to the north through the diversion of resources and forces".

No surprise Netanyahu's video message omits Lebanon blastspublished at 20:31 British Summer Time 18 September

20:31 BST 18 September

Daniel De Simone
Reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, X

The Israeli government has not commented on the explosions in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, neither accepting nor denying responsibility.

That’s no surprise - Israel rarely gives official comment on operations of this kind - but here, as elsewhere in the world, the widespread view is that it’s an operation by the country’s intelligence agency Mossad.

In a 10 second video posted on X tonight, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu baldly stated: "We will return the residents of the north safely to their homes, and we will do so exactly."

It's consistent with a ratcheting up of rhetoric this week from senior Israeli figures - including, as we've been reporting, the government announcing that a new war goal is to return thousands of displaced Israelis to the north of the country after rocket and drone attacks from Hezbollah drove them away.

Hezbollah is a hated foe, but also feared, so there’s been some gloating in Israel about what’s seen as a humiliation for it. But there is also real concern about what might happen should the conflict with Hezbollah now escalate into a larger war, perhaps involving Lebanon itself and even other countries, with Iran known to be Hezbollah’s major backer.

The UN and US today both called for de-escalation, amid fears of a deepening conflict, but it seems like such requests are not being heeded.

Image source, Getty Images

Details about the walkie-talkies detonated in today's explosions are still coming to light.

Footage shot in the aftermath showed destroyed devices bearing the brand Icom, a Japanese company.

The BBC reached out to Icom Japan via a contact form on their website but we have not yet received a reply.

Meanwhile, the pagers that exploded on Tuesday were a new brand that the group had not used before, one Hezbollah operative told the AP news agency. A Lebanese security official told the Reuters news agency that around 5,000 pagers were brought into the country about five months ago.

Labels seen on fragments of exploded pagers point to a pager model called the Rugged Pager AR-924. But its Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo has denied any involvement with the explosions.

• You can read more about that here

Image source, Reuters

Hezbollah is a politically-influential Shia Muslim organisation which controls the most powerful armed force in Lebanon.

It was established in the early 1980s by the region's most dominant Shia power, Iran, to oppose Israel. At the time, Israel's forces had occupied southern Lebanon during the country's civil war.

Hezbollah has participated in national elections since 1992 and has become a major political presence.

Its armed wing has carried out deadly attacks on Israeli and US forces in Lebanon. When Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah took credit for pushing them out.

Since then, Hezbollah has maintained thousands of fighters and a huge missile arsenal in southern Lebanon. It continues to oppose Israel's presence in disputed border areas.

The group is designated a terrorist organisation by Western states, Israel, Gulf Arab countries and the Arab League.

Read more here.

It's been around four hours since we first received reports of exploding walkie-talkies in southern Lebanon.

In the aftermath, the BBC's Hugo Bachega described seeing chaos in Dahiya, a suburb of Lebanon's capital Beirut and a Hezbollah stronghold. Here's where things stand now.

Exploding walkie-talkies: There were frenetic scenes this afternoon as reports emerged of more communication devices blowing up in Lebanon. The UN Security Council is set to meet to discuss the situation before the end of the week, and its secretary general Antonio Guterres is "deeply alarmed" by the situation.

Aftermath of yesterday: Funerals were held today in Beirut for victims of Tuesday's pager blasts. Several countries, including Russia and Iran, have backed Lebanon and blamed Israel for the action. Israel has remained silent and the US says it had no involvement. Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant also said the country is "opening a new phase in the war".

Death toll and injuries: Fourteen people have died today, and a further 450 are injured, after the latest attacks. Yesterday's pager blasts killed 12 people and left almost 3,000 injured. Doctors have reported treating patients with severe eye and hand injuries.

Nafiseh Kohnavard
Reporting from Beirut

Earlier today - prior to reports of exploding walkie-talkies in southern Lebanon - I spoke to Dr Nour El Osta, from the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Beirut, about what she saw following Tuesday's pager attacks.

"It was a normal day at the beginning of the day, until it wasn’t anymore," she told me. "It unfortunately reminded us of the 4 August 2020 explosion [when more than 200 people were killed in Beirut port] but it was also different."

She said this time around "we received too many similar injuries" and described it as being almost "repetitive". "All patients had lost fingers or had eye injuries. It was something we never had seen before."

Two patients had "severe injuries on their face and eyes," she explained, and were being transported to other hospitals for surgery.

Due to security concerns, we were not allowed to talk to the patients or their families, as they're mainly members of Hezbollah.

In the hospital garden, there were still a number of family members of the wounded Hezbollah members. All looked exhausted. Some women were crying.