JERUSALEM (AP) — With Israel’s defense minister announcing a “new phase” of the war and an apparent Israeli attack setting off explosions in electronic devices in Lebanon, the specter of all-out combat between Israel and Hezbollah seems closer than ever before.

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

Israel says that halting Hezbollah’s attacks in the north in order to allow its residents to return is now an official war goal as it considers a wider military operation in Lebanon

A U.N. resolution calling for Israel to withdraw from Gaza within six months will cause violence and chaos in the Middle East, an expert says.

The U.N. General Assembly will vote Wednesday on a resolution calling on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territory.

The resolution was criticized by Israel and the US, which argued the move undermines efforts toward a two-state solution.