National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for a harsh Israeli response to the situation in Lebanon, saying 'Lebanon as a whole must burn.' In a statement posted Friday morning, he urged the prime minister to abandon 'measured responses' and instead 'go crazy, wipe out, defeat terror.' The remarks draw on the memory of fallen soldiers and reflect an escalation in the minister's rhetorical posture, according to the minister's own statement.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir issued a hardline statement Friday morning, calling for an overwhelming Israeli military response in Lebanon. 'For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers should weep. All of Lebanon must burn,' he said in a text circulated by his office. The minister directly addressed the prime minister, saying he has conveyed the same message in private meetings: 'Enough with the ping-pong. In the Middle East you don't win with measured responses and containment — you need to go crazy, wipe out, defeat terror.' The statement appears to respond to the continuing operational tempo on the northern front, where soldiers have fallen in recent weeks. Ben Gvir's rhetoric has escalated since earlier this month, when he called for an aggressive deterrent to drone incursions. The comments come as Israeli diplomatic talks on Lebanon remain unresolved, with the PM reportedly facing competing pressures from security hawks and international partners. The Zioneer has previously reported on hardening Israeli positions regarding the security zone in southern Lebanon, as well as parallel demands from Iranian officials for a full Israeli withdrawal.
4 developments
- StrongBen Gvir: Israel must not accept US-Iran ceasefire
- DevelopingBen Gvir demands harsh response to drone incursions in security cabinet meeting
- DevelopingEU chief von der Leyen: No peace in the Middle East while Lebanon is in flames
- DevelopingAnonymous channel asserts Israel must 'immediately' cease fire in Lebanon
Source and signal
- Internal intake