Gallant visited the military's Northern Command in Safed, which was hit earlier this month by a militant rocket strike from southern Lebanon, killing a soldier.

Talks are underway towards a possible deal for Hamas to release captives and pause the fighting in Gaza, which was sparked on October 7.

Since then, there have been near-daily cross-border exchanges of fire between Israel and Hamas's ally Hezbollah on the border with Lebanon, prompting fears of a regional escalation.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran.

Gallant said he was keen to assess how Israel was combating increased Hezbollah activity from across the heavily fortified border.

"If anyone thinks that when we reach a deal to release captives in the south and the firing stops it will ease what is happening here they are wrong," he said in a video message.

Israel aims to ensure the Iran-backed militants do not pose a threat from border areas in southern Lebanon, he added.

If a diplomatic solution to the situation is not possible, "we will do it by force", Gallant warned.

On Sunday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a "suspicious aerial target" in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel, and rockets were fired at several locations.

Jets then struck a "terrorist cell exiting a Hezbollah military compound" and two "military compounds" on the Lebanese side of the border, it added.

Since October 7, 10 Israeli soldiers and six civilians have been killed by hostilities in the north, according to an AFP tally.

On the Lebanese side, at least 276 people have been killed, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also 44 civilians.

In Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry says at least 29,692 have been killed in the war since October 7.

* This story was edited by Ahram Online.