Israel has made the safe return of residents to the north of the country an official war goal, the prime minister’s office has said.The decision was taken by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet late on Monday.About 60,000 people have been evacuated from northern Israel because of near-daily attacks by Iran-backed Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon.Cross-border fighting escalated on 8 October 2023 – a day after the deadly attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip – when Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions, in solidarity with the Palestinians.”The Security Cabinet has updated the objectives of the war to include the following: Returning the residents of the north securely to their homes,” a statement from the prime minister’s office said.”Israel will continue to act to implement this objective,” it added.Earlier on Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the only way to return Israel’s northern residents to their homes was through “military action”, during a meeting with US envoy Amos Hochstein.āThe possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to ātie itselfā to Hamas, and refuses to end the conflict,ā a statement from his office said.”Therefore, the only way left to ensure the return of Israelās northern communities to their homes, will be via military action.āGallant’s comments came as speculation grew that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to replace him amid differences between the two men over the war in Gaza.US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin warned of the devastating consequen …