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BEIRUT: Two far-right Israeli ministers on Monday called for a major escalation of military operations in Lebanon, including strikes on Beirut, in remarks that underscored growing pressure within Israel’s government to intensify a war that has already taken a heavy toll on Lebanon.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to align with US President Donald Trump and expand the offensive.
“It is time for the Prime Minister to bang on President Donald Trump’s desk and tell him that we are returning to war in Lebanon,” Ben Gvir wrote on X.
He also called for sweeping punitive measures against Lebanon, saying: “Electricity to Lebanon must be cut off, the Zahrani must be seized, and intensive warfare resumed,” referring to a river in southern Lebanon that extends beyond the current Israeli ground operations.
