Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday that the window was closing for a diplomatic solution to the standoff with the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon, Reuters quoted him as saying.
Gallant's remarks come as White House Special Envoy Amos Hochstein visits Israel to discuss the crisis on the northern border, where Israeli troops have been exchanging rocket fire with Hezbollah forces for months.
"The possibility of an agreed framework on the northern arena is running out," Gallant told Austin in a phone call, according to a statement from his office.
As Hezbollah continues to engage with the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been engaged for almost a year, "the trajectory is clear," he said.
The visit by Hochstein, who is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comes amid efforts to find a diplomatic way out of the crisis, which has forced tens of thousands on both sides of the border to flee their homes.
On Monday, Israeli media reported that the head of the army's northern command had recommended a swift border operation to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
While the war in Gaza has been Israel's main focus since the Hamas attack on October 7 last year, the uncertain situation in the north has fueled fears of a regional conflict that could affect the US and Iran.
Hezbollah rocket fire the day after October 7 opened the latest phase of the conflict, and since then there has been a daily exchange of rockets, artillery fire and rockets, with Israeli jets striking deep into Lebanese territory.