{"id":130614,"date":"2026-05-25T19:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T19:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/130614\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T19:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T19:02:09","slug":"itamar-ben-gvir-pushes-to-intensify-fight-against-hezbollah-in-lebanon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/130614\/","title":{"rendered":"Itamar Ben-Gvir pushes to intensify fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Far Right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir<\/a> pushed for Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayhu to intensify fighting in Lebanon following Hezbollah drone attacks on Monday and amid developments over a potential US-Iran deal, which could influence Israel\u2019s ability to strike the terror group.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich<\/a> also pushed for military action, saying that Israel \u201cmust put an end to the threat of Hezbollah\u2019s explosive drones.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor every explosive drone, 10 buildings in Beirut<\/a> should fall,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Ben-Gvir said that he was calling on Netanyahu to phone US President Donald Trump<\/a> and \u201cpound on the table.\u201d He made the remarks at an Otzma Yehudit party press conference at the Knesset.<\/p>\n

\u201cSirens, unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs], explosive drones, this reality must not be accepted, and it must not be normalized,\u201d Ben-Gvir insisted, noting that Israel is already aware of how \u201cit ends when we contain and adapt to a routine of terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IsraeliIsraeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, May 19, 2026. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n

\u201cI call on the prime minister: Pick up the phone, call Trump, go to him, and pound the table. Make it clear that the State of Israel is not willing to accept, not willing to contain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben-Gvir said that it was necessary to cut Lebanon\u2019s electricity supply and occupy territory up to the Awali River and beyond, while also returning to \u201cintensive warfare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben-Gvir: ‘Cut the electricity’<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to cut the electricity, turn off the switch, and make it clear to them: If there is terrorism, you will suffer the consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also warned that if the Lebanese government does not control Hezbollah, then the area south of the Litani River \u201cwill become a security buffer zone for the State of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must bring complete calm to the residents of the North. The security of northern residents is not on the negotiating table; it is part of the IDF\u2019s operational activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben-Gvir said that he trusted Netanyahu\u2019s abilities to \u201cstand up for Israel\u2019s red lines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, opposition party heads sharply criticized the emerging deal between the United States and Iran on Monday, along with Netanyahu\u2019s role in representing Israel\u2019s interests on the matter.<\/p>\n

Opposition leader Yair Lapid warned that the deal between the US and Iran would be \u201ca disaster,\u201d and slammed Netanyahu for not pushing for Israel\u2019s interests and being present during negotiations on the deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe diplomatic handling of the entire event could not have been worse. Everything that was not supposed to happen, happened,\u201d Lapid said at a party press conference in the Knesset.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most serious aspect for Israel is that this agreement is being written while we are not at the table,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Lapid noted that repeatedly, Netanyahu\u2019s government has set goals and failed to achieve them.<\/p>\n

Lapid: IDF ‘magnificent,’ government fails them<\/p>\n

\u201cThe military does magnificent work, and then the government fails to secure the objectives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Lapid also warned about Netanyahu\u2019s health condition, saying that he \u201chas grown old, has become tired, and is surrounded by people who are the least suited to running a country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leader of the left-wing Democrats party, Yair Golan, said that it was clear that Trump was not considering Netanyahu while developing the Iran deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cNetanyahu is not in the game. His health condition does not allow him to withstand the pressure. His legal situation does not allow him to run a country, and his political condition has turned Israel into a weak regional and global player,\u201d Golan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 30 years, Netanyahu has put himself before the state. Always politics before responsibility, and always survival before the national interest,\u201d Golan added.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, everyone understands that Trump, the international community, and also the leaders of the region do not take Netanyahu seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Golan said that was why negotiations with Iran were being conducted \u201cover Netanyahu\u2019s head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is why Israel finds itself time and again reacting to the decisions of others instead of leading them. Netanyahu has lost his grip on reality. He is a prime minister who has lost the ability to influence, shape, and lead.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Far Right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir pushed for Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayhu to intensify fighting in Lebanon…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130615,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[32],"tags":[100,9060,2742,8750,93,10844],"class_list":["post-130614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lebanon","tag-hezbollah","tag-iran-deal","tag-israeli-politics","tag-itamar-ben-gvir","tag-lebanon","tag-opposition"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116636768224095473","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}