Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they would return northern residents to their towns "safely," while his Defense Minister Yoav Galant said the war had entered a new phase on Wednesday with more troops and resources being moved toward the northern front with Lebanon.

Explosions rocked several Lebanese regions on Wednesday, killing and wounding dozens.

The Houthis have used missiles and drones obtained from Iran to attack ships passing through the Red Sea.

Hundreds of members of the Lebanese Hezbollah group were killed on Tuesday in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut after the explosion of mobile communication devices (pagers) they were using.

The Civil Defense in Gaza reported the killing of 35 Palestinians, including women and children, in separate Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip since Monday morning, while Israel is preparing to train its naval forces for land combat due to a shortage of fighters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed the Houthis would pay a "heavy price" after they fired a rocket into central Israel.