Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hezbollah against insisting on not withdrawing its forces from the Lebanese-Israeli border as part of a diplomatic agreement, saying, "This means war for Israel."

Gallant explained in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that "his other direct concern is the northern border, where a large number of Israeli soldiers will be deployed in case of a conflict with Hezbollah."

"The priority is not to go to war with the party, 80,000 people must be able to return to their homes safely," he noted.

"If a deal is not negotiated to make that possible through the withdrawal of Hezbollah's forces, Israel will not back down from military action," Gallant emphasized.

"We are ready to sacrifice, they see what is happening in Gaza, and they know we can do that in Beirut," he concluded.