Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has stated that “all of Lebanon must burn” following an announcement by the Israeli military confirming the deaths of four soldiers in the country.
Ben Gvir released a statement emphasizing his stance on Israel’s national security and international relations. “With all due respect to the Americans, Israel must make it clear to the entire world that the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens are not up for bargaining. All of Lebanon must burn,” the minister said.
He also referenced direct communications with the Israeli leadership regarding retaliatory measures. “I told the prime minister, even in our private meetings: for every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep,” Ben Gvir stated.
The minister called for an escalation in military strategy, rejecting previous operational approaches.
“Enough with the ping-pong. In the Middle East, you don’t win with measured responses and restraint, you have to go crazy. To obliterate. To crush the terror,” he added.
The statements followed reports from the Israeli military confirming that four of its soldiers were killed during clashes in southern Lebanon which the force is illegally occupying.
Despite a reported agreement between the United States (US) and Iran that included provisions to end conflicts in Lebanon, Israeli military strikes continued past midnight.
Earlier, diplomatic friction surfaced as US Vice President JD Vance defended the US-Iran agreement, challenging the vocal opposition from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
In an interview with The New York Times, Vance questioned the long-term viability of alternative approaches. “What is your exact proposal? You’re a country of nine million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have,” Vance argued.
Ben-Gvir swiftly rejected the critique, responding that the operational goal is “to deal with the Nazis of the 21st century, just as the United States dealt with the Nazis of the 20th century”.
Prior to Ben Gvir’s remarks, official Lebanese sources reported casualties from aerial operations.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) stated that at least 24 people were killed and multiple others injured during a series of Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
The agency reported that the strikes targeted residential buildings in the localities of Al-Sharqiyah, Harouf, and Kfar Sir, located within the Nabatieh district. Several individuals remained unaccounted for following the attacks.
Official data tracks the broader impact of the military operations. The Israeli illegal military offensive in Lebanon, which commenced on March 2, has resulted in 3,912 deaths and 11,873 injuries.
