Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the return of residents to the northern part of the country, from which they fled because of the almost daily cross-border shelling by the Lebanese Islamist movement "Hezbollah, is now among the military targets of his government, BTA reported.
"Tonight, the Policy and Security Cabinet updated the military objectives, including the following section: the safe return of residents of the northern part (of the country) to their homes,'' the Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement.
Israeli forces and the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group have been exchanging blows almost daily since the large-scale attack by "Hamas" against Israel on October 7, sparking the deadly war in the Gaza Strip. "Hezbollah" claims that this campaign is in support of its Palestinian ally. This forced tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border to flee their homes.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant told an American emissary late last week that "military action is the only way to ensure the return of communities in northern Israel to their homes.