From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Ben Gvir visits Kiryat Shmona, demands Hezbollah be destroyed: ‘War!’
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Following harsh criticism by his political opponents, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visits the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, after fires sparked by Hezbollah rockets launched from Lebanon spread across large swaths of territory yesterday.
After a situational assessment with fire and rescue officials and meetings with local police and Mayor Avichai Stern, Ben Gvir releases a video in which he demands stronger military action in Lebanon.
“We finished a situation assessment and a visit to Kiryat Shmona. I think it’s amazing to see firefighters risking their lives, policemen who are here 24/7,” he says. “And now the IDF’s job is to destroy Hezbollah.”
Ben Gvir says it is unacceptable that “our land is under fire and we are being hurt, that people here are evacuating” while there is “quiet in Lebanon.”
“They’re burning [us] here. All Hezbollah strongholds should be burned, they should be destroyed. War!” he cries.
Visiting Kiryat Shmona, Ben Gvir calls for war in Lebanon
"לא יכול להיות שחבל ארץ שלנו מטווחים אותו, פוגעים בו, אנשים כאן מתפנים, לא יכול להיות מצב שיהיה שקט בלבנון. הם שורפים כאן, צריך לשרוף את כל מעוזי החזבאללה, להשמיד אותם. מלחמה!״ pic.twitter.com/ydXvqqPeud
— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) June 4, 2024
Yesterday, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid slammed Ben Gvir, whose ministry oversees the fire service, for attending a festive event in Jerusalem as blazes raged across the north. Ben Gvir said he only attended for 10 minutes.
The fires came amid intensifying cross-border skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah, with the Iran-backed terror group firing numerous barrages at the Galilee and Golan Heights in recent days. According to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, a series of rocket and drone attacks on Sunday caused bushfires that consumed 10,000 dunams (over 2,470 acres) of foliage in open areas, including nature reserves.
