June 19 (THEWILL) — Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has sparked international outrage after calling for a devastating escalation against Lebanon, declaring that “all of Lebanon must burn” following the killing of four Israeli soldiers in combat with militants from Hezbollah.
The remarks came on Friday after the Israel Defence Forces confirmed that four troops, including a senior commander, were killed when their tank was struck during fighting near Kfar Tebnit in southern Lebanon.
The incident marks one of the most serious battlefield losses in recent months and has further intensified already fragile tensions along the Israel–Lebanon frontier.
Reacting to the fatalities, Ben-Gvir rejected calls for restraint and insisted Israel should escalate its military response despite growing international pressure to de-escalate the conflict.
In a series of posts on X, the minister said Israel must send a clear message of overwhelming force.
“For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep. All of Lebanon must burn. 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”, he wrote.
Ben-Gvir also criticised what he described as limited military responses, arguing that Israel should abandon restraint entirely.
“Enough with the ping-pong. In the Middle East, you don’t win with measured responses and restraint — you need to go berserk. To obliterate. To crush the terror”, he said.
The Israeli military identified one of the slain officers as Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, 32, commander of the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Armoured Brigade, from Beit HaShita.
The army said three additional soldiers were killed in the same engagement, while their identities were pending official clearance for publication.
The Israel Defence Forces also reported that an explosive drone strike in southern Lebanon critically wounded a reserve officer, while four other soldiers sustained minor injuries in separate incidents.
Following the deaths, Israeli forces launched overnight air and artillery strikes across southern Lebanon, targeting what they described as Hezbollah operatives, weapons depots, and military infrastructure.
Lebanese local reports indicated that at least 18 people were killed in the bombardment, though the breakdown between civilians and combatants remained unclear at the time of reporting.
The escalation comes amid heightened diplomatic activity in the region, including reports of a preliminary understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at reducing hostilities linked to the broader Middle East conflict.
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