Israel says won’t cease fire with Hezbollah until safe return of Israelis to north

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that Tel Aviv will not cease fire on the border with Lebanon until it guarantees a safe return of Israelis to their homes in northern Israel.

"Israel will not cease fire until it can guarantee the safe return of the northern communities to their homes, following a change in the security situation along the border,” Gallant said during a meeting with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu in Tel Aviv.

“Even if Hezbollah ceases fire unilaterally, Israel will not cease fire until it guarantees the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” he added in statements carried by Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

The defense minister said that Tel Aviv prefers to end the conflict with Hezbollah by reaching a political solution.

“However, we are preparing to create a safe situation for the return of the residents, also through military means,” Gallant said. “A war in the north will be challenging for Israel, but devastating for Hezbollah and Lebanon.”

Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tensions erupted amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar