Comments by Israeli Security Minister Ben-Gvir 'fuel fear, uncertainty in Middle East': Norway

Norway's foreign minister on Friday condemned incendiary comments made by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying they fuel instability in the Middle East. After the announcement that four Israeli soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, Ben-Gvir on Friday wrote on US social media platform X: “All of Lebanon must burn.” “For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep,” he added, stressing what he called the “need to go berserk. To obliterate. To crush the terror.” Norway’s Espen Barth Eide rebuffed his remarks, saying they “join a long series of actions from the Israeli security minister that contribute to fear and uncertainty, not only in Lebanon, but throughout the Middle East.” Such remarks “undermine attempts to create peace in the Middle East," he said, according to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. Despite a US-Iran deal that includes provisions aimed at ending hostilities in Lebanon, Israel intensified strikes after midnight. Earlier Friday, at least 31 people were killed and several others injured in a series of Israeli attacks on southern and eastern Lebanon, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency. According to the latest official figures, Israel's military offensive in Lebanon, which began on March 2, has killed 3,912 people, injured 11,873 others, and displaced more than one million residents. During the recent military campaign, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanese territory.