It's an "important step", says the minister in a speech to Israeli soldiers stationed at the country's border with Lebanon in the north:
But it's not the last. To ensure the return to Israel's communities in the north, we will deploy all our capabilities, and this includes you (soldiers).
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from communities in the border areas in northern Israel, due to the shelling that has taken place from both sides in connection with the war in Gaza in the south.
From an Israeli perspective, military operations against Lebanon have been motivated by the need to protect northern Israel. It is the military's mission to ensure that people can return to their homes there, says Yoav Gallant in front of the soldiers:
This is what we will do, and we will deploy whatever is required: you, other forces, from the air, from the sea, and on land.
After the escalation between Israel and the Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah over the past few weeks, with Israeli attacks that have killed hundreds of people in Lebanon, Israel has called in more soldiers and sent them to the border in the north.
The Israeli military says it has laid the groundwork for a potential ground invasion, but whether such an invasion will take place has not been clearly stated.
