Israeli Security Minister Calls for Destruction of Southern Beirut Suburb
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made inflammatory remarks during a visit to Kibbutz Shtula on the northern border with Lebanon, calling for the “crushing” of the southern Beirut suburb. This statement was reported by the Hebrew website Makorr, citing Russia Today.
Ben-Gvir claimed that while the Israeli army is performing commendably, killing 600 Hezbollah members in recent weeks, this is insufficient. “What truly gives them [Hezbollah] strength is the southern suburb of Beirut, and we must crush it, we must destroy it again,” Ben-Gvir stated. He emphasized, “Hezbollah is in the southern suburb of Beirut, so we must crush Hezbollah in the southern suburb of Beirut. This is our message.”
The Israeli Security Minister also directed a message to Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying, “I am saying this here and to Netanyahu: It is time to crush the southern suburb of Beirut.”
Addressing potential limitations from Washington on Israeli military operations, Ben-Gvir commented, “We respect Trump and must be grateful for his participation [in the war], but red lines harm soldiers and civilians, and we must crush the southern suburb.”
These statements are being interpreted as reflecting Ben-Gvir’s anger over heavy casualties among Israeli soldiers in precise attacks by Hezbollah. Earlier, it was announced that following two separate security incidents involving Israeli military personnel in southern Lebanon, one Israeli soldier was killed and five others were injured.
