Israeli minister says 'all of Lebanon must burn'

Published June 19, 2026 Updated June 19, 2026 12:54pm

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has said that “all of Lebanon must burn” after Israel’s military announced the deaths of four soldiers there, AFP reports.

“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 up for bargaining. All of Lebanon must burn,” Ben Gvir said in a statement.

“I told the prime minister, even in our private meetings: for every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep,” he said.

“Enough with the ping-pong. In the Middle East, you don’t win with measured responses and restraint — you have to go crazy. To obliterate. To crush the terror,” the minister added.

Opinion

Editorial

Digital deal
19 Jun, 2026

Digital deal

THINGS have moved rapidly where the Iran-US memorandum of understanding is concerned. While the physical document ...
Failing the public
19 Jun, 2026

Failing the public

WHETHER it is Sindh’s struggle to secure clean drinking water or Balochistan’s difficulty in improving the...
Crushed lives
19 Jun, 2026

Crushed lives

COURTS and commissions have often been up in arms over the health and ecological hazards associated with...
Words that wound
Updated 18 Jun, 2026

Words that wound

Hate speech rarely begins with physical attacks.
‘New urban province’
18 Jun, 2026

‘New urban province’

CONSIDERING the advance state of urban decay that affects Karachi, voices are often raised calling for the megacity,...
Punjab budget: mixed bag
18 Jun, 2026

Punjab budget: mixed bag

PUNJAB’S budget for FY27 is a mix of good and bad political choices, with a cash-strapped centre tightening the...