The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has accused Israel’s military of striking schools, humanitarian workers and civilians in Gaza.

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

The Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Thursday, shortly before the movement's leader was due to give a speech. It also said the military chief of staff had approved plans for Israel's north,

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?

The source of Wednesday’s explosions was not immediately clear, but the blasts came a day after thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah blew up across Lebanon.

Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Wednesday it attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets in the first cross-border attack since the Tuesday pager blasts.

Israel warned residents in the north to stay inside or remain near bomb shelters Thursday after the Israeli Air Force struck Hezbollah military targets inside Lebanon.

The wave of exploding electronic devices used by Hezbollah members could be a prelude to a wider attack by Israel.