Israel’s far-right police and security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has called for war with the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.
“All Hezbollah strongholds must be burned and destroyed. War!” Ben-Gvir asked in a video published on social media platform X on Tuesday.
It was unacceptable that parts of Israel were attacked and people were evacuated while peace reigned in Lebanon, he said during a visit to Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel. The city has been particularly affected by shelling from the neighboring country.
Ben-Gvir complained that Hezbollah was setting fire to large parts of Israel, a reference to several fires in the north of the country in recent days caused by rocket fire from Lebanon.
He said he published the video after assessing the situation in the region’s fire and police departments.
Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip almost eight months ago, there have been daily military clashes between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah militia in the border area between Israel and Lebanon. There have been casualties on both sides.
The tit-for-tat shelling has caused severe destruction in villages on both sides of the border. There have also been forest fires in Lebanon as a result of past attacks. About 150,000 people in both countries have been evacuated or left the combat zone.