Return of displaced northern residents to their homes becomes an official war goal
Amid escalation fears, overcoming near-daily Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon added to objectives of destroying Hamas, eliminating the threat from Gaza, and freeing hostages
The security cabinet has updated its official goals for the ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza to include the objective of allowing residents of the north to return safely to their homes after being displaced by attacks by the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Tuesday.
“The safe return of the residents of the north to their homes” has now been added as a fourth objective to the war, the PMO said in a statement.
“Israel will continue to act to achieve this goal,” the statement said following a late-night meeting of the security cabinet in Tel Aviv.
Until now the declared goals of the war, which erupted with the devastating October 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas, were threefold: the elimination of the Palestinian terror group’s military and governing capabilities, the return of all the hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.
The cabinet motion came more than 11 months after tens of thousands of northern residents were displaced from their homes when Hezbollah began attacking following the Hamas assault, saying it was doing so in support of Gaza. Residents were largely put up in hotels in other areas of the country, paid for by the state.
Israel has increasingly threatened to launch a major operation to push Hezbollah northward, away from the border, and the change to the stated war goals came as US special envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel in an attempt to reach a diplomatic solution and avoid further escalation.
Hezbollah has said it will stop firing only once the war in Gaza ends, though many Israelis fear the north will remain under threat as long as the Iran-backed terror group’s forces are able to operate along the border. Many displaced residents of the north have urged the government to take military action, believing it is the only way to make their homes safe again.
Meeting Hochstein on Monday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that only military action against Hezbollah would enable the return of evacuated Israelis to their homes, as rockets and drones continued to pound northern Israel.
“The possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to tie itself to Hamas, and refuses to end the conflict,” Gallant said, according to a statement from his office. “Therefore, the only way left to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes will be via military action.”
However, Hochstein warned Gallant during their meeting that a major Israeli offensive against Hezbollah would not bring about the return of the evacuated northern residents to their homes. Instead, it would raise the risk of a prolonged regional war, a source familiar with the matter told reporters
He told Gallant that the US supports a diplomatic solution to the tensions with Hezbollah, be it through a Gaza ceasefire or another path, the source said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, told Hochstein in a meeting Monday that it would not be possible for Israel to allow the return of its 60,00 evacuated residents to their homes in the north “without a fundamental change in the security situation” there, his office said.
The saber-rattling came amid Hebrew media reports that Israel is gearing up for a major military operation in Lebanon, though not an all-out attack. Nonetheless, fears remain that any significant escalation in the conflict would draw a heavy response from the Iran-backed group, which commands a huge artillery rocket arsenal. Iran and its other proxies could also be drawn into such a fray, triggering a regional war.
A series of rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon on the north of the country, throughout Monday, caused damage and fires in open areas, but no injuries. The IDF later said it bombed Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, killing at least one Hezbollah operative.
So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 20 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries. Hezbollah has named 441 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 78 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have also been killed.
