Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir openly called for genocide, demanding that all of Lebanon “must burn” while the United States works to end the war with Iran.
Ben-Gvir issued a scathing rebuke of the current Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) negotiated between Iran and the United States after Israel says four of its soldiers were killed in Southern Lebanon in an attack by Hezbollah — although some reports suggest Israel and Lebanon have subsequently agreed to a new ceasefire late Friday morning. In his statement, Ben-Gvir said the goal should be to indiscriminately “obliterate” Lebanon. (RELATED: INGERSOLL: So What Did We Get For All The Trouble?)
“For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep,” Ben-Gvir said in the Friday post on X. “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. All of Lebanon must burn.”
“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,” Ben-Gvir added. “I told the Prime Minister, even in our private meetings: For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep. 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.”
TOPSHOT – Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir gives a statement during a party meeting at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on June 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. Far-right Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened on June 1 to quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government if he goes ahead with a hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)
The MoU on Wednesday afternoon, specifically requiring that the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as “their allies in the current war,” immediately cease all military operations, including in Lebanon, and requires that the “territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon” be respected.
President Donald Trump and members of his administration have been highly critical of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the release of the MoU. (RELATED: Here Are The 3 Factions Slipping Poison Pills Into Trump’s Peace Process)
“Israel‘s fighting Hezbollah too long and too many people are being killed,” Trump said at the G7 summit Tuesday. “And you don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there’s a lot of people in those apartment houses. And they’re not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you.”
When asked about his relationship with Netanyahu, he said, “It’s good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane.”
Vice President JD Vance also called out Israel’s behavior, reminding the ally that much of their military is propped up by the American taxpayer.
“Over the last three months, two-thirds of the defensive weapons who have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars,” Vance said of Israel. “The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the President of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in.”
Former Israeli Prime Minister and opposition leader Yair Lapid also criticized the Netanyahu government, saying their current military operations will cause other countries to sever ties with them eventually.
“In the past day, the U.S. Vice President got angry at a press conference over Smotrich and Ben Gvir, Foreign Minister Sa’ar cut ties with the European Union’s foreign minister, and President Trump said Netanyahu is showing irresponsibility in Lebanon,” Lapid said in a post on X. “If we don’t quickly replace this government, Israel’s foreign relations will be wiped out.”