Beirut has warned the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is out of control as Israel signalled a new era of the war.Lebanese economy minister Amin Salam said the last week had been “very intense” for Lebanon and said escalation of the conflict by the hour was likely.

Hezbollah admits Israel dealt a severe blow with exploding pagers and walkie talkies, but neither side seems to heed U.S. calls to avoid a wider war.

Lebanon's Hezbollah was still handing its members new Gold Apollo branded pagers hours before thousands blew up this week, two security sources said, indicating the group was confident the devices were safe despite an ongoing sweep of electronic kit to identify threats.