Public outrage over National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s remarks spread beyond Israel after a harsh post he published on X following a deadly incident in southern Lebanon drew more than 17 million views, according to the figure displayed on the platform. The post came while the circumstances of the incident were still being investigated.
According to Kan 11, four IDF soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, including Battalion 52 commander Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Shimon, along with three other armored corps troops. The army is still examining the details of the event, which was described in other reports as one of the most severe incidents in the area since fighting in the north resumed.
Ben-Gvir wrote on X, “For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers should cry. All of Lebanon should burn.” He later said he told the prime minister that “in the Middle East, you do not win with measured responses and restraint,” and called to “defeat terrorism.” The remarks were carried by foreign media and triggered sharp reactions.
X marked the post as violating its rules, but kept it accessible because of public interest. Users must open it deliberately and see a warning label first. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, quickly circulated a screenshot of the post and said it was not a marginal remark but a public statement by an Israeli government minister. He accused Israel of seeking “perpetual war,” using the anger in Israel after the soldiers’ deaths as propaganda against the country.
