The Israeli military is preparing a phased pullout from Gaza and quietly pressing the government to broker a truce with Hamas as quickly as possible, as the military works to clear the decks ahead of what officials say could be a withering war with the powerful Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

The deputy leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah says the only definite path to a cease-fire on the Lebanon-Israel border is a full cease-fire in Gaza.

The plan for post-war Gaza that Israel pitched to U.S. allies is to run the strip in cooperation with powerful local families. But there's a problem: in a place where Hamas still wields ruthless influence,

"We will do it. We will have to do it," former Israeli intelligence official Zohar Palti told journalists in Tel Aviv.

A drone fired from Hezbollah injured 18 Israeli soldiers over the weekend. It's adding to fears that a full-fledged war could break out. More than 60,000 Israelis are still evacuated from the northern border with Lebanon and Secretary of State Blinken said Israel had “effectively lost its sovereignty” there.