JERUSALEM, Sept 17, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an expansion of the country's war goals on Tuesday to include the return of northern residents who fled cross-border fire traded with Hamas ally Hezbollah.

"The political-security cabinet updated the goals of the war this evening, so that they include the following section: the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group have exchanged near-daily strikes since Hamas's October 7 attack sparked war in the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah says the campaign is in support of its Palestinian ally.

Hezbollah officials have said the group would stand down if a Gaza ceasefire was reached, while Israel insists it cannot allow 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.

On Monday, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told a visiting US envoy that "military action" was the "only way left to ensure the return of Israel's northern communities to their homes".