TEL AVIV, April 4. /TASS/. Israel is broadening its operations against Lebanon’s Shiite movement Hezbollah and keeps striking its enemies across the entire Middle Eastern region, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said at a homefront readiness drill in Haifa, according to The Times of Israel.

Israel is "increasing preparedness, and at the same time <…> also expanding our operations against Hezbollah, against other bodies that threaten us; we strike our enemies all over the Middle East," the newspaper quoted him as saying.

The minister said that one of Israel’s main challenges is to ensure safe return of 80,000 Israelis, forced to flee their homes in northern Israel amid rocket and mortar attacks from the Lebanese territory.

"We prefer… an agreement that will result in the removal of the threat, but we have to prepare for the possibility of [using] force in Lebanon which can also take into account the scenario we are describing here, which is a scenario of war, and we need to be prepared for this issue and understand that it can happen," Gallant said. "We need to be prepared and ready for every scenario and every threat, against close enemies and against distant enemies.".