Key facts
- Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stated 'all of Lebanon must burn' following the deaths of four Israeli soldiers.
- Ben-Gvir rejected calls for a ceasefire and stated Israel is not bound by U.S. agreements.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi characterized Israeli leadership as a 'threat to all of humanity.'
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich echoed calls for aggressive action against Lebanon.
- Despite a reported ceasefire agreement, Israel conducted further strikes on southern Lebanon.
- Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported at least 3,696 killed and 11,413 injured since March 2.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir declared that 'all of Lebanon must burn' in a social media post following the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon. His remarks came amid renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and in defiance of U.S.-brokered ceasefire efforts. Ben-Gvir stated that Israel's security concerns supersede external considerations, including agreements with allies, and that 'measured' military strategies should be abandoned for more aggressive action.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Ben-Gvir's comments, labeling the Israeli leadership a 'genocidal death cult' and 'a threat to all of humanity.' Fellow far-right cabinet member, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, echoed Ben-Gvir's sentiments, calling for Israel to 'open the gates of hell' on Lebanon.
Despite the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, strikes continued overnight. Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported that 47 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes on Friday alone, with the total death toll since March 2 reaching at least 3,696.
U.S. President Donald Trump had previously criticized civilian killings in Lebanon by the Israeli army, warning that such attacks threatened to derail the ceasefire agreement. Israel had repeatedly rejected calls from the U.S. and other G7 countries to withdraw troops from southern Lebanon throughout the ceasefire negotiations.