"The campaign in the Gaza Strip will last for many more months," Netanyahu told a press conference.
He added that the Israeli operation will last until all its goals, including the destruction of the Hamas movement, are achieved.
"If Hezbollah expands the scale of the confrontation, we will carry out strikes that neither Hezbollah nor Iran can imagine," Netanyahu stated.
Earlier this month, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the United States agrees with the Israeli assessment that the ongoing conflict in Gaza could go on for several months, adding that it is important that Israeli strikes become more targeted and precise.
On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on the military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 21,000 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1.