Netanyahu vows to change 'balance of power' on Lebanon border

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the current situation on the border with Lebanon is not sustainable.

"The existing situation will not continue. We will do everything necessary to return our residents safely to their homes," he said during a weekly Cabinet meeting.

"We are in a multi-arena campaign against Iran's evil axis that strives to destroy us," he added.

He described speaking with residents and authorities in the north, saying, "I hear the distress, I hear the cries.

"The status quo will not continue. This requires a change in the balance of power on our northern border," Netanyahu added.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border and Israel has repeatedly warned that it might resort to military action to return its residents should diplomatic efforts fail.

The cross-border violence since early October has killed 623 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters but also including at least 141 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

On the Israeli side, including in the annexed Golan Heights, authorities have announced the deaths of at least 24 soldiers and 26 civilians.