Israel-Gaza updates: Netanyahu weighs plan to force civilians out of north Gaza

Israel has begun a "new phase in the war," with Israel diverting forces and resources toward northern Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said at the air force's Ramat David base on Wednesday.

"The center of gravity is moving north, the meaning is that we are diverting forces, resources, energy towards the north. We have not forgotten the abductees and we have not forgotten our tasks in the south, this is our duty and we are carrying it out at the same time," Gallant said.

"It is very important to do things at this stage in close cooperation -- between all organizations, at all levels," Gallant said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference in Egypt on Wednesday that the U.S. "did not know about and was not involved" in Israel's pager attacks in Lebanon and Syria -- but said that officials were still gathering information and did not directly blame Israel.

"Broadly speaking, we've been very clear, and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we're trying to resolve in Gaza," Blinken said. Its spread to other fronts, he added, is "clearly not in the interest of anyone involved."

Blinken also reaffirmed the Biden administration's commitment to reaching a cease-fire, which he said would "materially improve the prospects of defusing the situation" on the Israeli-Lebanese border and allow thousands of people living near the area on both sides of the divide to return home.

"That's clearly the best path forward for everyone involved. So again, it's imperative that everyone avoid taking steps that could further escalate or spread the conflict," he said.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty was also asked about the matter, and had much more to say. He declared, via a translator, that Egypt was "against any unilateral action that attacks the sovereignty of Lebanon."

"We have condemned and we will condemn any targeting of the Lebanese sovereignty," he said. "It does not encourage any civility."

He continued: "Such dangerous escalation can lead to what we have warned of before, which is leading to the edge of a regional war which can kill everyone."

The foreign minister also asserted that the "heart of the crisis" facing the Middle East was "Israeli aggression in Gaza."

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston

The Israel Defense Forces' 98th Division will be deployed to the northern part of the country close to the border with Lebanon, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.

The division was previously active in the Gaza Strip and is being deployed to the north amid rising tensions and ongoing skirmishes between the IDF and the Hezbollah militant group operating from southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has vowed retaliation for Israel's exploding pager attack that killed at least 12 people and injured at least 2,800 in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Sources confirmed to ABC News that Israel was responsible for the explosion of pagers across Lebanon on Tuesday.

The pagers began exploding around 3:30 p.m. local time, according to Hezbollah officials. An intelligence source familiar with the situation told ABC News that Israel has long been working to perfect this type of "supply chain interdiction attack."

A source described the attack as a “huge operation” that took between six and 12 months to plan, involving the use of informants and collaborators. Explosives were implanted inside the beepers, the source added.

At least 12 people were killed and at least 2,800 injured by the explosions, Lebanese health authorities said.

Hezbollah said 11 of its members were killed on Tuesday, though did not disclose the circumstances of their deaths. The militant group vowed retaliation against Israel.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Josh Marglin and Jordana Miller