Rejecting a Ceasefire, Right-Wing Minister Ben-Gvir Says Lebanon Should Be Israel's "Playground"

Itamar Ben-Gvir. (Wikimedia Commons/DedaSasha)

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday called for rejection of any ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, saying the country "should be Israel's playground," while opposition leader Avigdor Lieberman called the US-Iran deal the "biggest political disaster" since Israel's founding.

"Israel cannot agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon," right-wing minister Ben-Gvir told Israeli public broadcaster KAN in an interview, Anadolu (22/6) reported.

Furthermore, Ben-Gvir urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convey Israel's rejection of any ceasefire in Lebanon to US President Donald Trump.

"Trump is a true friend, and we must treat him with courtesy and embrace him, but we need to tell him that we cannot agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon," Ben-Gvir said.

"We are the ones who make the decisions, and there are good results for our soldiers," he added.

His opposition comes amid growing discord among Israeli politics and security over a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran and its implications for ending the war on the Lebanese front.

"The agreement between Iran and the US is the greatest political disaster since the founding of the country," Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, said on the US social media X.

"We have to act according to Israel's interests and not according to the price of fuel on the world stock exchange," he added, referring to what experts see as one of the motives behind Trump's push to end the war with Iran.

It is known that Israel and Lebanon are scheduled to hold the fifth round of direct negotiations in Washington on Tuesday.

The upcoming talks follow four previous rounds between the two sides that began in April as part of efforts to end Israel's war in Lebanon.

The US-mediated negotiations come amid growing criticism within Israel over Washington's handling of talks with Iran and Hezbollah.

Israeli news site i24NEWS, citing Israeli officials, said Tel Aviv was concerned that an agreement between the US and Iran could strengthen Tehran and its allies in the region.

The officials claimed the Trump administration and its negotiating team "misunderstood the ideology driving Tehran and Hezbollah."

"Trump does not speak the language of Shiites," they said, referring to what they claimed was a failure to understand the nature of the Iranian and Hezbollah systems.

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 4,100 people and wounded more than 12,000 others since March 2, according to Lebanese official figures.

Israel continues to occupy territory in southern Lebanon, some of which has been held for decades and others seized during the 2023-2024 war.