Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has called for a massive, disproportionate military escalation against Lebanon, demanding the destruction of 10 buildings in Beirut for every explosive drone launched by Hezbollah.

Smotrich made the hardline statements on social media platform X following a recent Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon that killed an Israeli soldier, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.

"For every explosive drone, 10 buildings must fall in Beirut," Smotrich wrote. "The response to a significant threat must be significant. You don’t counter a strategic threat with shielding alone, but by changing the rules and the equation."

The Finance Minister argued that relying strictly on defense systems is an unsustainable long-term strategy for national security. He stressed that Israel must "put an end to the threat of Hezbollah’s explosive drones" by ensuring the enemy pays an incredibly high, deterrent price. "We cannot shield ourselves forever. Only exacting a deterrent and disproportionate price from the enemy will reshape the equation against our foes on all fronts," he added.

The calls for aggressive retaliation coincide with major financial mobilization to counter incoming aerial threats. Smotrich noted that earlier this week, Israel approved a special military budget of approximately 2 billion shekels ($692 million) specifically dedicated to developing and deploying new technological solutions to neutralize the drone threat.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada