Is Israel preparing for a war with Hezbollah?

The specter of all-out combat between Israel and Hezbollah seems closer than ever before. Tensions rose sharply after Israel’s defense minister announced a “new phase” of the war and an apparent Israeli attack set off explosions in electronic devices in Lebanon. Hopes for a diplomatic solution appear to be fading quickly. Israel has signaled a desire to change the status quo in the country’s north, where it has exchanged cross-border fire with Hezbollah since the Lebanese militant group began attacking on Oct. 8, a day after the war’s opening salvo by Hamas. Israel has recently moved a powerful fighting force up to the northern border.