U.S. officials say the Biden administration is "extremely concerned" about the risk of an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon, but hopes to use growing Israeli military pressure on Hezbollah to get a diplomatic deal to return civilians to their homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border.

The absence of a full-blown war in Lebanon has been touted as a core U.S. achievement, but now Washington’s grip on the crisis appears more tenuous than ever.

Many Democratic senators — progressives and moderates alike — are declaring support for the audacious operation against Hezbollah that detonated thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members in Lebanon,

The militant group said 16 of its members were killed in Friday’s attack in Beirut, which Lebanon’s health minister said left a total of 37 people dead.

Israel’s shift to a riskier, more aggressive posture toward Lebanon’s Hezbollah — exploding pagers, striking Beirut and targeting commanders — came about both suddenly and gradually.

Hezbollah confirms two of its senior commanders have been killed in an Israeli strike. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says its forces "conducted a targeted strike in Beirut".

Israel is attempting a risky strategy, increasing the intensity of its attacks in an attempt to force Hezbollah to back down, while raising the chances of an aggressive response that devolves into a land war.