Amid fears of an expanding war in the Middle East following mass detonations of bombs surreptitiously planted in Hezbollah communication devices, Israel continued its assault on the Iran-backed militia overnight.

Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by the Hezbollah militant group exploded earlier this week, killing dozens and injuring thousands of others.

The strikes come after Hezbollah's leader vowed to take revenge on Israel who it accuses of an audacious attack on pagers and handheld radios.