Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Wednesday that the IDF is prepared for military action against Hezbollah during a visit to the northern border.

“Whoever thinks that he will hurt us and that we will then sit idly by is making a big mistake,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “We are prepared for very intense action in the north. One way or another, we will restore security to the north.”

Netanyahu made the remarks during a visit to the northern city of Kiryat Shmona following Hezbollah’s rocket attacks from Lebanon, which ignited fires along the northern border, requiring firefighters’ response.

“Yesterday the ground was on fire here,” Netanyahu said, “but the ground was also burning in Lebanon.”

Netanyahu’s visit comes amid criticism for his failure to restore security to the northern borders, where tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated on October 7 remain unable to safely return home.

With the Gaza conflict winding down in the south, attention has shifted to the escalating cross-border violence with Hezbollah, prompting a meeting of the war cabinet on Tuesday night.

The government is expected to discuss the potential call-up of additional reserves due to the escalation in the North.

Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, stated that the group’s decision was not to escalate the war but would fight if imposed upon. Qassem indicated that the Lebanon front would persist until the Gaza conflict ceases.

The US has advocated for a diplomatic resolution to the cross-border violence but stressed the necessity of restoring calm in Gaza for such efforts to succeed.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has expressed a preference for a diplomatic solution, according to the most recent information from the Biden administration.

The European Union expressed increasing concern about rising tensions and forced displacement of civilians on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border, urging restraint from all parties involved.