BEIRUT

Israel is prepared for a war in the north that will be "devastating" for both Hezbollah and Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tuesday.

''We are prepared for war, and eventually, when our patience wears thin, we will need to take strong action to impose quiet on the northern borders for the security of Israeli residents,'' Gallant said in a military meeting in the northern city of Haifa to assess the readiness of the Israeli internal front if a war broke out with the Lebanese group.

“The possibility of reaching a political settlement with Lebanon is running out, and as a result, we may end up resorting to military action,” the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted Gallant as saying.

There have been no comments by Lebanon or Hezbollah on Gallant's statements.

Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tension comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio