Israelis must be able to return safely to their homes in the north, whether by military means or diplomacy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's US special envoy Amos Hochstein said when they met on Thursday.
"Returning our citizens in the north and south to their homes is part of the goals of the war, and it will be achieved by political or military means," Netanyahu said.
He spoke with Hochstein, who is visiting as part of a US push for a diplomatic rather than a military solution.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Hochstein earlier in the day that there is only a short window for diplomacy to be effective.