Returning residents to north Israel now a war goal, Netanyahu says

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel on Tuesday expanded its stated goals of the war in Gaza to include enabling residents to return to communities in northern Israel that have been evacuated due to attacks by Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. The decision was approved during an overnight meeting of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, Netanyahu's office said. Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel sparked the war in Gaza.