National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Friday called for a dramatically intensified Israeli military response against Lebanon following a Hezbollah drone attack that killed four IDF soldiers in Southern Lebanon.
“For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep. All of Lebanon must burn,” Ben-Gvir posted on X.
The remarks came hours after the military announced that four IDF soldiers, including Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, commander of the 52nd Battalion in the 401st Brigade, were killed.
“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. “Our supreme duty is to protect the citizens of Israel and the soldiers of the IDF, and this commitment takes precedence over every other consideration.”
The minister said he had conveyed the same message directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I told the prime minister, even in our private meetings: For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep,” he said.
Criticizing what he described as limited retaliatory measures, Ben-Gvir called for a far more forceful campaign against Hezbollah.
“Enough with the ping-pong!” he said. “In the Middle East, you don’t win with measured responses and restraint, you need to go berserk. To obliterate. To crush the terror.”
