At around 3:30 in the afternoon on Tuesday, the pagers across Lebanon began beeping, delivering a message from Hezbollah leadership to their operatives through a chorus of chimes, melodies, and buzzes.

Hezbollah admits Israel dealt a severe blow with exploding pagers and walkie talkies, but neither side seems to heed U.S. calls to avoid a wider war.

Israel’s attack on Hezbollah’s communication devices raised expectations of a decisive shift in their war of attrition. Instead, the fighting has returned to a standoff.