Israel bombed southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it had thwarted an Iranian-led assassination plot, a day after explosions of Hezbollah radios that came on the heels of blasts in booby trapped pagers,

Thousands of Israelis received threatening text messages on Wednesday, which appeared to have been sent by Hezbollah affiliates. The messages, some of which included web links that Israeli authorities say are suspicious, came after thousands of pagers and hand-held radios used by members of Hezbollah exploded across Lebanon .

Nine people, including a child, have been killed after handheld pagers used by members of the armed group Hezbollah to communicate exploded across Lebanon, the country’s health minister says. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was among 2,800 other people who were wounded by the simultaneous blasts in Beirut and several other regions.

Hezbollah claims the attack was carried out by Israeli forces and vows to respond. Israel has declined to comment

As the broadcast was aired, deafening sonic booms from Israeli warplanes shook Beirut, a sound that has become common in recent months but has taken on a greater significance as t

The IDF said the targets were ready to be used “in the immediate future” to fire into Israeli territory. (Credit: IDF)