Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant did say on Wednesday, however, that his country's war with Iran's so-called proxy groups in the region had entered a "new phase," announcing a shift to the north of Israel after 11 months of intense conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah pounded northern Israel with 140 rockets Friday, a day after the militant group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to retaliate against Israel for a mass bombing attack, the Israeli military and the militant group said.

The powerful Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah continued to strike what it called military targets in northern Israel Thursday after thousands of its members were injured and several killed in an apparent Israeli operation using exploding pagers and other communication devices.

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,

The Israeli military carried out an airstrike in Beirut that it said killed several senior Hezbollah officials, including Ibrahim Aqeel, a commander wanted by the United States for his role in bombings in the 1980s that killed hundreds.

The leader of Hezbollah vowed to retaliate for this week’s deadly attacks on the group’s communications devices

Hezbollah's operations commander Ibrahim Aqil, who served on the group's top military body, was killed alongside members of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Unit.