Israeli Minister Proposes Detaining Lebanese Women and Children to Pressure Hezbollah

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, a recent security cabinet meeting of the Israeli regime focused on strategies to counter Hezbollah. The meeting occurred against a backdrop of unprecedented bombardment of southern Lebanon spanning over three months. Reports indicate that a majority of cabinet members advocated for intensified attacks, increased bombardments, and wider destruction.

Within this context, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the regime’s Internal Security Minister, presented a distinct yet more aggressive stance. Alongside calls for amplified airstrikes, he proposed moving beyond conventional frameworks: “We must exit the usual frameworks, occupy more areas, and detain their women and children and transfer them to prison; this will exert the most pressure on them.”

During the same session, Israeli Foreign Minister Gedeon Sa’ar cautioned about the on-the-ground situation, warning that Hezbollah is attempting to draw Israel into a war of attrition. Furthermore, Yitzhak Wasserlauf of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party emphasized the necessity of increasing armament, while Orit Strock of the Religious Zionism party called for the occupation of parts of Lebanese territory.

The tactic of detaining family members of resistance fighters has a long precedent in the Palestinian territories. In past years, the detention of women and children of combatants in the West Bank has been employed as a pressure tool. The complete destruction of homes belonging to individuals linked to resistance operations and the displacement of residents have also been reported as instances of collective punishment in these areas.

These statements come as Israeli military statistics indicate that since March 2nd, the Israeli army, through extensive attacks on Lebanon, has killed 3,637 people, wounded thousands, and displaced over a million individuals.