Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has warned that time is running out on diplomatic efforts to end tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

Gallant, during a situational assessment at the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) northern command base, indicated that Israel would soon be left with no choice but to launch a military offensive against Hezbollah, the Times of Israel reported. He was quoted as saying:

"We prefer the path of an agreed-upon diplomatic settlement, but we are getting close to the point where the hourglass will turn over."

He said Israel would continue to “intensify our operations across the entire sector as needed” with the objective to “safely return the residents of the north to their homes”, Ynet reported.

/The Guardian.