OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel had “landed a series of blows on Hezbollah” after a night of intense cross-border fire and attacks this week in Lebanon.

“In recent days, we have landed a series of blows on Hezbollah that it could have never imagined. If Hezbollah did not get the message, I assure you it will get the message,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

“No country can tolerate attacks on its citizens, attacks on its cities. And we, the State of Israel, will not tolerate it either,” he said, vowing to return residents of northern Israel displaced by nearly a year of fighting to their homes.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israeli forces would continue to pursue their war goals, which since earlier this week formally include returning the residents of the north to their homes.

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Before the expansion of the war goals, they focused on crushing Hamas and securing the return of hostages seized during the Palestinian group’s October 7 attack that triggered the Gaza war.

In a statement issued by his office, Gallant said “Hezbollah has begun experiencing the impact” of Israel’s military capabilities, “and they sense that they are being pursued”.

Military actions “will continue until we reach a point where we may ensure the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” he said.

“This is our goal, this is our mission, and we will employ the means necessary to achieve it.”