Israel Outraged After Four Soldiers Killed: 'All of Lebanon Must Burn'

The situation is heating up. Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is furious and has said that ‘all of Lebanon must burn’, after the Israeli military announced the death of four of its soldiers there. ‘With all due respect to America, Israel must make it clear to the entire world that the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens are non-negotiable. All of Lebanon must burn,’ the hardline Israeli minister said in a statement, as reported by AFP news agency on Friday (19/6/2026). Earlier, Lebanese authorities said 18 people were killed on Friday in Israeli airstrikes in the south. Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported its first soldier deaths in Lebanon since a United States-Iran agreement was reached to halt the Middle East war, including in Lebanon. On Friday (19/6), Israel said it struck Hezbollah targets overnight and into the morning. The Iran-backed militant group, meanwhile, said it attacked Israeli forces around the town of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon. ‘Intensive Israeli airstrikes carried out from midnight until this morning prevented the evacuation of martyrs and wounded, resulting in a provisional toll of 18 martyrs and 33 wounded in at least 10 villages and towns,’ Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. The strikes were the deadliest since Iran and the United States agreed to stop the Middle East war. The Israeli military said Lieutenant Colonel Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon had ‘fallen in battle’ along with three other soldiers, whose identities have not yet been disclosed. In a separate statement, it was reported that a reserve officer was seriously injured ‘as a result of an explosive drone strike in southern Lebanon’. Four other Israeli soldiers sustained minor injuries in the incident. Previously, US officials, including President Donald Trump, had expressed disappointment over Israel’s strikes in Lebanon, which continued despite the US negotiating with Iran. The strikes occurred despite a ceasefire agreement reached in April, which was intended to halt the fighting in Lebanon.