Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday called for a de-escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, as Lebanon said 37 people had now been killed by booby-trapped hand-held devices.

"Today the risk of escalation is once more increasing in a dangerous way" in Lebanon, Sanchez told a news conference in Madrid after more than an hour of talks with visiting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

"So we must again make a fresh appeal for restraint, for a de-escalation and for peaceful coexistence between countries, in the name of peace," he added.

Hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded across Lebanon in unprecedented attacks this week, killing 37 people and wounding more than 2,900.

The blasts spanning two days have dealt a major blow to the Iran-backed militant group, which blamed its arch-foe Israel for the attacks and vowed revenge.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is set to address the nation later Thursday, with many expected to watch his speech closely for any clues about a response.

Here is what we know about the attacks.

- What happened? -

Turkey on Thursday accused Israel of seeking to expand the war in Gaza to Lebanon with the "alarming" wave of deadly explosions that swept though Hezbollah strongholds.

"The escalation in the region is alarming," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on state-run TRT television. "We see Israel mounting its attacks towards Lebanon step by step."

The blasts have killed 32 people in two days, including two children, wounding more than 3,000 others, according to Lebanese health ministry figures.

Multiple women have accused Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, the former owner of upmarket London department store Harrods where they worked, of rape and sexual assault, the BBC said on Thursday.

The allegations, made in a BBC documentary and podcast, are the latest to be levelled at powerful figures following the start of the #MeToo movement in 2017.

Fayed, who died last year at the age of 94, was a prominent figure in British life for decades due to his ownership of Harrods.

Israel said it struck hundreds of targets in Lebanon, hours after Hezbollah's leader vowed to retaliate for two "unprecedented" rounds of attacks targeting its operatives' communication devices.

Israel has not commented on the explosion of thousands of Hezbollah pagers and radios, which killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days this week, but it has been blamed by the Iran-backed group for the attacks.

Speaking for the first time since the deadly device sabotage, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Thursday that Israel would face retribution.

Japanese firm Icom said Thursday that it had stopped producing the model of radios reportedly used in recent blasts in Lebanon around 10 years ago.

"The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, it has not been shipped from our company," Icom said in a statement.

Israeli intelligence has suffered a blow after having failed to warn of Hamas's October 7 attack, but with this week's deadly pager blasts in Lebanon the fearsome Mossad agency appears to have hit back.

Israel has not commented on the unusual attack that turned communication devices used by Hezbollah members into explosives, killing 12 people including two children and wounding up to 2,800 others across Lebanon.

Saudi club Al Nassr announced Wednesday the appointment of Stefano Pioli as coach of the side headed up by Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Italian replaces Luis Castro, who parted ways with the club on Tuesday after a slow start to the season, both domestically and in the AFC Champions League.

"Pioli is Nassrawi," Al Nassr said a statement on social media platform X.

"We welcome Stefano Pioli as our new coach."

The 58-year-old was AC Milan boss from October 2019 to May 2024, and oversaw the club's Serie A title-winning campaign in 2022.

Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler said Wednesday that the kingdom will not establish ties with Israel until a Palestinian state has been created, in a blow to US efforts to seal a normalisation deal.

"We renew the kingdom's rejection and strong condemnation of the crimes of the Israeli occupation authority against the Palestinian people," Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told the opening session of its advisory Shura Council.

Taiwan and Hungary on Wednesday denied making pagers that exploded while being used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon, killing 12 people.

The New York Times, citing American and other anonymous officials, reported that Israel had inserted explosive material into a shipment of pagers from Taiwan's Gold Apollo.

Taiwanese prosecutors launched an investigation.

Gold Apollo denied producing the devices and instead pointed the finger at its Budapest-based partner BAC Consulting KFT.