Son of Israeli Finance Minister Wounded in Fighting on the Lebanon Border

Bezalel Smotrich’s son, the Israeli Finance Minister, was wounded in fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the Lebanon border. Smotrich’s son sustained a minor injury and was in stable condition. According to CNN and The Jerusalem Post, on Thursday 5 March 2026, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stepped up attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Smotrich had previously warned that southern Beirut would be razed. ‘You want to bring doom upon us and bring doom upon yourselves. Dahieh will look like Khan Younis,’ Smotrich said. Dahieh is the southern suburb of Beirut, considered by Israel to be Hezbollah’s stronghold. Khan Younis is a city in southern Gaza that has largely been flattened by Israeli bombardment during the Gaza war. Defence Minister Katz confirmed the news about Smotrich’s son, who was not named, and he wished Smotrich’s son a speedy recovery. ‘I pray for my friend, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and his family, and I pray that his son recovers quickly, a fighter wounded in Lebanon while carrying out his duties against the terrorist organisation Hezbollah,’ Katz wrote on X. Smotrich, who is also a member of the security cabinet, is one of the Israeli government’s most hardline ministers.