UK foreign secretary rebukes Israeli minister over Lebanon comments
Yvette Cooper called Itamar Ben-Gvir’s remarks “horrendous and abhorrent” after he wrote that “all of Lebanon must burn.”
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
2 min read
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned comments by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir calling for Lebanon to burn, remarks that added to international alarm over Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah. Cooper wrote on X on Friday that Ben-Gvir’s statements were “horrendous and abhorrent,” according to Al Jazeera.
Ben-Gvir posted the comments after four Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah attack, Al Jazeera reported. In his post on X, he wrote: “For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep. All of Lebanon must burn!”
He also said that, “with all due respect to the Americans,” Israel had to show the world that “the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens are not forfeit.” Ben-Gvir added that Israel “must not withdraw from any territory that our fighters have captured,” according to Al Jazeera.
Iranian foreign minister denounces post
Ben-Gvir rejected the peace agreement between the United States and Iran, writing that “Israel is not subordinate to the United States,” Al Jazeera reported. He also called for Lebanon to be “obliterated.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on X by saying Ben-Gvir’s comments were “not a rant by a random genocidal lunatic” but “a public post by the national security minister of the Israeli regime.”
Araghchi wrote that “the genocidal death cult headquartered in Tel Aviv is a threat to all of humanity,” according to Al Jazeera. He added: “It threatens all humans. Its only interest is permanent war.”
Israeli ministers harden rhetoric
Other senior Israeli officials also made forceful statements about Lebanon. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Friday that displaced residents from southern Lebanon would not be allowed to return to their homes, Al Jazeera reported.
“The 200,000 residents living in the security zone will not return,” Katz said, according to Al Jazeera. “None of them will return.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for “opening the gates of hell” in Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported. The outlet said Smotrich used the same phrase in March 2025 about Gaza.
Lebanese authorities say Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah, which Al Jazeera reported began on March 2, 2026, has displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon. Lebanese authorities also say more than 1,200 people have been killed.
The British rebuke put public distance between London and one of Israel’s most prominent hardline ministers at a time of widening regional strain. Cooper’s criticism focused on Ben-Gvir’s language, while Iranian officials used the remarks to accuse Israel’s government of seeking wider conflict, according to Al Jazeera.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.