Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for attacks on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, to resume.
Ben-Gvir made the statement on Sunday after an officer and two soldiers were seriously wounded in an Israeli drone attack in southern Lebanon.
Ben-Gvir calls for tougher operations
Speaking to Galei Israel radio, Ben-Gvir said the current situation could not focus solely on neutralizing threats. He said he hoped tensions would escalate.
Arguing that Israeli soldiers should have freedom of movement, Ben-Gvir called for tougher operations against Hezbollah in Beirut.
Beirut strikes and developments in southern Lebanon
Israel halted its attacks on Beirut in April at Washington’s request. At the time, Washington was conducting negotiations aimed at ending the war with Iran.
On May 6, the Israeli military killed Ahmed Balout, commander of Hezbollah’s Ridvan Force, in an airstrike on Beirut.
According to the military, an officer and two soldiers were seriously wounded in a drone attack on Ali al-Tahir Hill in the Nabatieh governorate of southern Lebanon on Saturday evening.
Earlier the same day, Israel intensified its attacks on several areas in southern Lebanon. Nine people were killed and 11 were wounded in the attacks; artillery fire was also used, and some homes in the south were demolished with explosives.
The Israeli military claimed that its attacks targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatieh and Ansar areas of southern Lebanon.
Deaths and displacement in Lebanon
According to Lebanese authorities, 4,335 people have been killed, 12,277 wounded and more than 1 million displaced in Israeli attacks that have continued since March 2.
Israel continues its decades-long occupation of some areas in southern Lebanon. Some areas were occupied after the previous war in 2023–2024, while Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory during the current attacks.
Israel also maintains control over Palestinian territories and parts of Syria and has rejected calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and for its withdrawal from these areas, as provided for in relevant United Nations resolutions.
