The Israel Defence Forces is diverting troops and resources to Israel’s northern border in a "new phase of war”, said Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Ramat David Airbase near Haifa, he said that the “centre of gravity” had shifted to the north amid rising tensions with Hezbollah, Iran’s regional terrorist proxies.

“The center of gravity is moving north. We are diverting forces, resources, and energy toward the north,” he said in remarks released by his office.

The announcement followed a second day of explosions across Lebanon, as hundreds of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah agents detonated, killing 20 people and injuring 450.

On Tuesday, thousands of pagers exploded in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and parts of Syria, killing 12 people and injuring 3,000, including the Iranian ambassador Mojtaba Amani.

The Iran-backed terrorist accused Israel of being “fully responsible”, but Israel has not commented directly on the blasts.

An exploded phone in Lebanon (Getty Images)

“We have not forgotten the hostages and we have not forgotten our tasks in the south. This is our duty and we are performing it at the same time,” Gallant told the Israeli Airforce Personnel.

He said that Israel’s war goals are “clear and simple: to return the residents of the towns in the north to their homes safely”.

He added: “We have to adjust ourselves, this is true for everyone, certainly for those who are in the air, or control what is in the air, because the opposition here is stronger, it is not Hamas.”

He said that “we will need consistency over time, this war requires great courage, determination, and perseverance”.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi also released statements confirming a new phase of war on the northern front.

Halevi confirmed that he had approved offensive and defensive plans for the north and said Israel still has “many capabilities that we have not yet activated”.

The statement said: “Throughout the war for almost a year, we have been fighting in Gaza with two main goals, as well as others - dismantling Hamas and returning the hostages. We have achieved a lot, and we still have further forward to go.

“We still have many capabilities that we have not yet activated. We saw some of these things here, and it seems to me that the readiness is good and we are preparing these plans going forward.

“The rule is that every time we work on a certain stage, the next two stages are already ready to advance. At each stage, the price for Hezbollah must be high."

In a brief video published on Wednesday, Netanyahu said: “I’ve already said, we will return residents of the north safely to their homes, and that is exactly what we will do.”

Tuesday’s explosions across Lebanon and Syria occurred just hours after the Israeli Cabinet added the return of residents displaced from their homes in the north to the country’s war objectives.

“The Security Cabinet has updated the objectives of the war to include the following: Returning the residents of the north securely to their homes,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement released Tuesday morning.