Summary
- British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has sharply condemned inflammatory comments made by Israel’s far‑right National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir, who declared on X that “all of Lebanon must burn” following the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in a Hezbollah attack.
- Ben‑Gvir’s post went further, insisting Israel “must not withdraw from any territory that our fighters have captured” and rejecting the U.S.‑Iran peace agreement, saying “Israel is not subordinate to the United States.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by calling Ben‑Gvir’s words “not a rant by a random genocidal lunatic” but “a public post by the national security minister of the Israeli regime.” He accused Israel of being a “genocidal death cult” and a threat to humanity.
- Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that 200,000 displaced residents of southern Lebanon “will not return,” effectively confirming permanent displacement.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has sharply condemned inflammatory comments made by Israel’s far‑right National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir, who declared on X that “all of Lebanon must burn” following the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in a Hezbollah attack.
Cooper described the remarks as “horrendous and abhorrent,” underscoring growing international unease over Israel’s rhetoric and military operations in Lebanon. Ben‑Gvir’s post went further, insisting Israel “must not withdraw from any territory that our fighters have captured” and rejecting the U.S.‑Iran peace agreement, saying “Israel is not subordinate to the United States.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by calling Ben‑Gvir’s words “not a rant by a random genocidal lunatic” but “a public post by the national security minister of the Israeli regime.” He accused Israel of being a “genocidal death cult” and a threat to humanity.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that 200,000 displaced residents of southern Lebanon “will not return,” effectively confirming permanent displacement. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich echoed Ben‑Gvir’s tone, calling for “opening the gates of hell” in Lebanon, repeating language he previously used about Gaza.
Since Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah began on March 2, 2026, Lebanese authorities report more than 1.2 million people displaced and over 1,200 killed. The remarks from senior Israeli ministers have drawn condemnation abroad and heightened fears that the fragile U.S.‑Iran peace deal could collapse under the weight of continued violence in Lebanon.
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