Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning on Monday about “complicated days” ahead for the country following a meeting at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

His comments come in the wake of Israel’s recent airstrikes in southern Lebanon that killed at least 274 people, including 21 children, 39 women and two medics.

Lebanon Health Minister Firass Abiad said Israeli bombing targeted homes, medical centres, ambulances and cars of people trying to flee.

Netanyahu stated that Israel does not wait for threats to materialise but instead takes preemptive action. He stated, “I promised that we would change the security balance and the balance of power in the north—this is precisely what we are doing.”

The escalation of violence raises concerns about the potential for a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as broader regional conflict.

The fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border has intensified, coinciding with the ongoing conflict that began when Israel launched its war on Gaza in October. This escalation follows last week’s incidents involving explosions from pagers and walkie-talkies that resulted in numerous casualties in Lebanon.

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The Israeli PM has promised to implement measures that will enable Israeli residents to return to their homes, following a weekend of heightened tensions. He noted that Hezbollah’s attacks last October had displaced around 60,000 Israelis living near the Lebanon border.

“No country can tolerate the indiscriminate bombardment of its cities,” Netanyahu stated. “We cannot accept this either. We will take whatever actions are necessary to restore security and ensure that our people can safely return to their homes.”