Israel defiant as Hochstein warns it against war on Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday told visiting U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein that a "fundamental change" was needed after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Displaced residents of the border area would not be able to return home "without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north" and Israel "will do what is necessary to ensure its security," Netanyahu told Hochstein, according to a statement from the Israeli leader's office.

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for his part told Hochstein that prospects were dimming for a halt to the fighting with Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed Lebanese armed group has traded regular cross-border fire with Israeli forces since Hamas' October 7 attack sparked war in the Gaza Strip, in a campaign Hezbollah has said is in support of its Palestinian ally.

Gallant "emphasized that the possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to 'tie itself' to Hamas, and refuses to end the conflict," a statement from the Israeli minister's office said.

"Therefore, the only way left to ensure the return of Israel's northern communities to their homes, will be via military action," he added.

Earlier on Monday the ministry said Gallant delivered a similar message by phone to his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin about time "running out" for an agreement that would end the conflict.

Hochstein meanwhile warned the Israeli leaders he met that the U.S. does not believe that a broad conflict in Lebanon would return the residents of the north to their homes, and that there is a danger that it will develop into a regional and much longer conflict, Israeli media outlets said.

Hochstein also made it clear to his Israeli interlocutors that the U.S. remains committed to a diplomatic solution to the northern sector, either together with a cease-fire agreement in Gaza, or on its own.

While repeated rounds of talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have sought a truce in Gaza, there have been no signs of progress in diplomacy aimed at halting the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

Hezbollah officials have said the group would stand down if a Gaza ceasefire is reached, while Israel insists it cannot allow militants to remain in the border area in Lebanon's south.

The violence has killed hundreds of mostly fighters in Lebanon, and dozens of civilians and soldiers on the Israeli side.

The fighting has also forced tens of thousands of people on both sides to flee their homes.

Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said Saturday his group has "no intention of going to war," but if Israel does "unleash" one "there will be large losses on both sides."

Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in the summer of 2006 that killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, as well as 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers.

The Israeli defense ministry statement about Gallant's call with Austin said the Israeli minister "reiterated Israel's commitment to the removal of Hezbollah presence in southern Lebanon, and to enabling the safe return of Israel's northern communities to their homes" after more than 11 months.

- Tensions in cabinet -

Monday's defense ministry statements came as several Israeli media including the left-leaning Haaretz daily reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering firing Gallant, which Netanyahu's office denied.

Gallant, who had already survived an attempt by Netanyahu to dismiss him in March 2023, is among several Israeli officials who have been at odds with the prime minister on war policy.

While Gallant, a former general, remains grimly committed to destroying Hamas over its October 7 attack, he has clashed with Netanyahu on the issue of Gaza's post-war governance and pressed the prime minister to declare a policy.

Gallant has opposed any permanent Israeli occupation of Gaza, which Israel seized in 1967 before withdrawing troops and settlers in 2005, then imposing a crippling blockade and, after October 7, a siege.

The Israeli defense minister had said that "the 'day after Hamas' will only be achieved with Palestinian entities taking control of Gaza, accompanied by international actors", rejecting long-term Israeli administration of the Palestinian territory.

Israeli media last month quoted Gallant as telling a parliamentary committee that a deal to release hostages held in Gaza "is stalling... in part because of Israel," prompting Netanyahu's office to accuse Gallant of adopting an "anti-Israel narrative."

Netanyahu on Sunday publicly addressed the crisis on Israel's northern border, saying at a cabinet meeting that the current situation was not sustainable.

"The status quo will not continue. This requires a change in the balance of power on our northern border," said Netanyahu, without specifying how he planned to achieve it.