Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Friday that "all of Lebanon must burn" after Israel's military announced the deaths of four soldiers there. "With all due respect to the Americans, Israel must make it clear to the entire world that the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens are not up for bargaining. All of Lebanon must burn," Ben Gvir said in a statement. Lebanon said 18 people were killed Friday in Israeli airstrikes in the south. Israel had said it was striking Hezbollah targets overnight and into the morning, while the Iran-backed militant group said it was attacking Israeli forces around the southern town of Nabatieh. The strikes were the deadliest since Iran and the United States agreed to halt the wider Middle East war on Monday. The Israeli military, meanwhile, said Lieutenant Colonel Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon had "fallen in combat" along with three other soldiers it did not immediately identify. In a separate statement it reported a reserve officer was severely wounded "as a result of an explosive drone impact in southern Lebanon,” with four other soldiers lightly injured in the incident.
