Israel is attempting a risky strategy, increasing the intensity of its attacks in an attempt to force Hezbollah to back down, while raising the chances of an aggressive response that devolves into a land war.

The absence of a full-blown war in Lebanon has been touted as a core U.S. achievement, but now Washington’s grip on the crisis appears more tenuous than ever.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a televised speech on Thursday called Israel's remote detonations of pagers and Walkie-Talkies in Lebanon "a declaration of war" and said Israel will receive "a just punishment" for its actions.