LONDON, September 19. /TASS/. Israel has dealt a blow to the Lebanon-based Shiite party Hezbollah by carrying out mass detonations of the movement’s communication devices in Lebanon but is itself mired in a war of attrition with the group, the Economist said.

According to the media outlet, the Israeli army "has bloodied" the movement "but is stuck in a war of attrition." "Despite the operational success, the timing underscores Israel’s strategic dilemma," the Economist pointed out. Wounding lots of Hezbollah members and "damaging the group’s communications would have been an ideal prelude to a major Israeli offensive," it noted. However, the Israeli government "has not approved an incursion; instead, a low-level war of attrition has set in."

The magazine pointed out that "Israeli generals still talk of war in terms of when, not if, but the timing is hotly debated. Some want to take advantage now of the presence nearby of American aircraft-carriers and ·ghter squadrons." However, others "would rather take time to rest and refit" with Israel still engaged in combat with the Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Multiple explosions of communication devices occurred in Lebanon on September 17 and 18. On the first day, a large number of pagers blew up almost simultaneously in various regions of Lebanon. According to the country’s Health Ministry, 12 people, including two children, were killed, and 2,800 more were hospitalized.

On the following day, a new wave of blasts swept across Lebanon. This time, walkie-talkies, phones, fingerprint scanners, as well as devices operating on solar and lithium-ion batteries exploded. At least 20 were killed and 460 were injured in the repeat attack.