A Middle East expert has warned that Israel’s explosive attacks on pagers that members of Hezbollah used could be the first part of a pre-planned invasion of the Lebanon.

The two days of attacks targeting thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies have been widely blamed on Israel, heightening fears that 11 months of near-daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel will escalate into all-out war.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the attacks, but an expert believes they could invade Lebanon’s southern region because disrupting communications is a priority in warfare. Robert Riggs, a geopolitical risk consultant, told Daily Express US: “These attacks will have a large impact on Hezbollah’s ability to coordinate a response to Israel’s escalation by disrupting their communications network.”