In a long history of audacious operations, exploding pagers and walkie-talkies across Lebanon was one of Israel’s boldest feats, delivering a stunning tactical success that threw the militant group Hezbollah into disarray and which could help restore the deterrence Israel lost on Oct.

Israel launched a series of strikes on Hezbollah targets Thursday as the war against the Lebanon-based group widened in the wake of two consecutive days of deadly explosions triggered in wireless devices.

The Israel Defense Forces are increasingly focused on the prospect of a large conflict developing with Hezbollah in northern Israel. The chances for a major war increased on September 17 when thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded in Lebanon,