The United States says all-out war will not allow the people of northern Israel to return home

White House national Security spokesman John Kirby said Sunday that Israel cannot achieve its goal of safely returning people to their homes in the north through all-out war with Hezbollah or Iran.

Reuters reports that Israel struck more Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday. They say the aim is to secure northern Israel from Hezbollah rocket attacks and allow thousands of displaced residents to return to their homes.

Kirby told CNN: "All-out war with Hezbollah, including all-out war with Iran, is not the right way to achieve that." If you want these people to return home safely, we think it's the right path to take diplomatically."

He said the United States is watching what steps Hezbollah will take to fill its leadership vacuum "and continues to discuss with the Israelis the right next steps."

Lebanon's Health Ministry says more than 1,000 Lebanese have been killed and 6,000 wounded in the past two weeks. The government says one million people have fled their homes.

"We make no secret of the fact that we don't necessarily view tactical execution the way they do when it comes to protecting civilians," Kirby said.

He said U.S. support for Israel's security is unwavering.

Iran said Saturday it would defend its national and security interests and called for a U.N. Security Council meeting on Israel's actions. "We've seen the rhetoric coming out of Tehran," Kirby said. We will see what they do."