Israel carried out extensive air strikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday, stepping up hostilities after it declared a “new phase” of war against militant group Hezbollah in the area.

The Israel Defense Forces said it hit 100 sites where the Iran-backed militant group could launch attacks “in the immediate future.” Lebanon’s state media said 52 strikes were carried out on four areas.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israel’s air assaults and missile attacks by Hezbollah earlier on Thursday mark one of the heaviest fire exchanges between the two since the war in Gaza broke out last October. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant this week cited the beginning of a “new phase” where the conflict with Hezbollah is becoming more of a priority for the Jewish state.

Those remarks came in the wake of a massive wave of explosions of pagers and other wireless devices in Lebanon, an attack blamed on Israel for apparently targeting Hezbollah members. Israel didn’t claim or deny responsibility for the blasts that left more than 30 dead and thousands of others injured across Lebanon.

The Israeli army has diverted some soldiers from the Gaza Strip, where it’s fighting against Hamas, to the Israel-Lebanon border. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are considered terrorist entities by the U.S.

The IDF lifted security restrictions on towns in northern Israel on Friday, indicating that it didn’t expect an immediate retaliation from Hezbollah.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin postponed a planned visit to Israel, Axios reported. Some airlines, including Air France and Lufthansa, have suspended flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv until late Friday.

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(With assistance from Kateryna Kadabashy.)

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