British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on May 30 condemned shocking remarks by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who posted on social media that "all of Lebanon must be burned down" after four Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah attack.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Cooper called the comments "disgusting and revolting."
She responded to Ben-Gvir's statement, in which he wrote: "For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep. All of Lebanon must be burned down! With all due respect to the Americans, Israel must make clear to the entire world that the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens cannot be taken lightly."
Ben-Gvir further argued that Israel "must not withdraw from any territory our fighters have seized," rejected a peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran, stating "Israel is not a country dependent on America." He also called for the "elimination" of Lebanon.
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Ben-Gvir's remarks "are not the ramblings of a random genocidal lunatic" but rather "a public post by the national security minister of the Israeli regime."
"The genocidal death cult based in Tel Aviv is a threat to all humanity," Araghchi wrote on X. "It threatens all people. Its only concern is permanent war."
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared on the same day that displaced residents of southern Lebanon would never be allowed to return home. "The 200,000 residents living in the security zone will not return. None of them will return," he said.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also called for "opening the gates of hell" in Lebanon, echoing language he used in March 2025 regarding Gaza.
According to Lebanese authorities, since Israel's offensive against Hezbollah began on March 2, 2026, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced and over 1,200 people have been killed in Lebanon.
