Israel warns about Lebanon border hostilities: "The hourglass for a political settlement is running out"

Israeli government minister Benny Gantz, one of three men who make up the country's emergency war cabinet, is threatening to intensify Israeli military action at the Israel-Lebanon border, where Hezbollah militants have been firing at northern Israel.

"I want to say to the world: The situation on the northern border requires a change," Gantz said at a press conference late Wednesday, adding that residents of border communities who have been evacuated due to the fighting there need to be returned to their homes.

"The hourglass for a political settlement is running out. If the world and Lebanon's government will not work to stop the shooting at Israel and to distance Hezbollah from the border, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will do so," Gantz said.