JERUSALEM

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said late Wednesday that the situation on the northern border with Lebanon will change either through a political settlement or a wide-scale military operation.

Gallant’s remarks followed an assessment at the Northern Command headquarters in Safed in Upper Galilee near the Lebanese border with Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, the commander of the Northern Command, Ori Gordin, and the commander of the Air Force, Tomer Bar.

“IDF (army) forces are preparing and continue to prepare against every threat that comes our way, both in defense and attack,” Gallant wrote on X.

“The situation in the north will change with a settlement or with a wide-scale military operation; we have an obligation to return the citizens safely to their homes,” he added.

Around 120,000 Israelis have been evacuated from the northern and southern regions adjacent to Gaza to hotels across Israel since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7 last year, according to Israel’s Channel 12.

“We are completing the ground and air readiness, strengthening the intelligence systems and preparing for any possibility,” The Times of Israel daily cited Gallant as saying in a statement.

In recent weeks, the Israeli-Lebanese border has seen significant escalation, prompting repeated calls from the US to contain the situation.

Tensions have risen along Lebanon's border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between the Lebanese Hezbollah group and Israeli forces as Tel Aviv presses ahead with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 37,400 people since October following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio