Israel has expanded its stated goals of the war on besieged Gaza to include enabling settler to return to communities in northern Israel that have been evacuated due to clashes between Israeli military and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The decision was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, Netanyahu’s office said.

It comes amid reports of Israeli military planes dropping leaflets on the residents of southern Lebanon, warning them of consequences if they don’t flee.

Israeli military’s preparations to invade southern Lebanon will be complete by December, local media reported last week.

On Monday, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told a visiting US envoy that “military action” was the “only way left to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes”, fuelling fears of a possible Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon.