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Israel’s national security minister said “all of Lebanon must burn” after the Israeli military reported that four of its soldiers had been killed in the south of the country.
“For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep,” Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote in a post on X.
Israel’s military said the soldiers were killed “in combat” when their tank was hit during an operation near Kfar Tebnit. It has named one of the victims as 32-year-old Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, the commander of the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Armored Brigade.
The Israel Defense Forces said it had carried out strikes across southern Lebanon overnight, targeting what it said were Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure. Eighteen people have reportedly been killed in the strikes as of this morning.
It comes just days after US and Iranian leaders signed an initial agreement aimed at ending the Iran war. Under the terms of the provisional deal, both sides and their allies are required to suspend all military activities, including in Lebanon.
“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 forfeit,” Ben-Gvir said in his post on Friday.
Ben-Gvir sparked controversy in May after he posted video footage showing him taunting detained activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla who had been attempting to transport aid to Gaza.
The video showed the minister berating detainees and waving a large Israeli flag as the activists were forced to kneel with their hands tied behind their backs.
“Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords,” he says in the footage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time that the manner in which Ben-Gvir had dealt with the activists was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms”.