Smotrich, Ben-Gvir call for major escalation in Lebanon

• Demands follow drone infiltration into the Western Galilee
• Smotrich urges application of the “Dahiyeh doctrine”
• Ben-Gvir pushes for a tougher response against Hezbollah

'Israel’s' ultra-nationalist coalition partners have launched a coordinated political offensive, demanding an immediate, devastating military campaign deep into Lebanon following a series of cross-border drone incursions into the Western Galilee.

The public pressure campaign was ignited on Sunday morning by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Writing in separate, highly aggressive statements on the social media platform X, both ministers warned Netanyahu that 'Israel's' long-term deterrence posture is on the line, explicitly calling on the government to abandon its policy of containment and systematically crush Hezbollah infrastructure.

The political outcry follows an incident earlier on Sunday in which the 'Israel' Home Front Command activated emergency air raid sirens across Rosh HaNikra and Shlomi.

The 'Israeli' military later confirmed that two explosive-laden unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) successfully bypassed interception tracking, penetrating 'Israeli' airspace before detonating in open fields.

While no casualties were reported, the breach provided immediate ammunition to the coalition's most hawkish elements.

'Dahiyeh doctrine' demands 

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich framed the latest drone infiltrations as a direct, insolent test of Netanyahu’s own military declarations.

He called on the Prime Minister to immediately deploy the "Dahiyeh doctrine", a controversial 'Israeli' military strategy that dictates the use of overwhelming, asymmetrical force against adversary strongholds to inflict severe structural damage and deter future hostilities.

"The firing toward the northern settlements is a test of the Dahiyeh doctrine that the Prime Minister declared," Smotrich wrote on X. "I call on him to implement it with determination and force and to demolish buildings in Dahiyeh today as well."

הירי לעבר ישובי הצפון הוא מבחן למשוואת הדאחיה שראש הממשלה הכריז עליה.

אני קורא לו לממש אותה בנחישות ובתקיפות ולהוריד עוד היום בניינים בדאחיה.
אנחנו בימים קריטיים של עיצוב המרחב לשנים רבות.

הבטחנו ביטחון לתושבי הצפון ואנחנו חייבים לקיים!

— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) June 14, 2026

Smotrich emphasized that the country is currently navigating "critical days of shaping the space for many years to come," concluding that the government must fulfill its absolute promise to restore total security to the thousands of displaced residents of northern 'Israel'.

'We do not contain, we crush!'

Echoing Smotrich's hawkish rhetoric, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir outlined a rigid, zero-tolerance operational matrix that he intends to formally present to Netanyahu during an upcoming emergency security briefing.

Ben-Gvir laid out a series of unyielding, highly asymmetrical red lines designed to force Hezbollah into submission:

"For every drone—a missile. For every violation—fire. For every UAV—Hezbollah must tremble," Ben-Gvir declared publicly.

"For every hair on the head of an IDF soldier—a thousand Hezbollah terrorists. Against terror, we do not contain, we crush!"

The synchronized public statements underscore the deep-seated structural fractures currently plaguing Netanyahu’s security cabinet.

אדרוש ואבהיר שוב את עמדתי היום בדיון עם ראש הממשלה:

על כל רחפן - טיל.
על כל הפרה - אש.
על כל כטב”ם - הדאחייה צריכה לרעוד.
על כל שערה מראשו של חייל צה”ל - אלף מחבלי חיזבאללה.

מול הטרור לא מכילים, מכריעים!

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) June 14, 2026

While senior defense officials and international mediators have urged strategic restraint to avoid triggering a catastrophic all-out regional war, the coalition’s far-right wing appears entirely determined to force a massive kinetic escalation, viewing any measured response as a symptom of tactical weakness.