Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into northern Israel on Tuesday as the group's Deputy Secretary-General Naim Kassem issued a defiant address vowing to defeat Israel's operations in Lebanon. More Israelis in the north of the country will be displaced as Hezbollah expands its operations, he said.

The cabinet was expected to authorize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the defense minister, to initiate a retaliatory attack at their discretion, officials said.