The addition of the new war aim may push Israel to shift its military focus to its northern front as it warns that its patience for reaching a diplomatic solution with Hezbollah is running thin.

Israel says that halting Hezbollah’s attacks in the country's north to allow its residents to return to their homes there is now an official war goal as it considers a wider military operation in Lebanon.

Meeting with a senior Biden administration adviser, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said “the only way” for Israel to return its displaced citizens to the northern border is through military action against Hezbollah.