Israeli finance minister calls for expanding military operations, annexing parts of Gaza and Lebanon

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician, sparked fresh controversy on Sunday after calling for war in the occupied West Bank and the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, as well as the annexation of areas in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip currently under Israeli military control.

Smotrich made the remarks during a podcast with Israeli news site Ynet, stating: "I would like us to annex at least the areas up to the yellow line in Gaza, and to reach the Litani River in Lebanon, because if the war ends at the same lines where it started, what will deter the enemy from waging war again?"

The finance minister added: "I believe we need to go to war in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), and dismantle the Palestinian Authority, which supports terrorism," referencing his well-known stance on annexing the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

Rising tensions in the West Bank

Violence has escalated in the West Bank since the outbreak of war in Gaza, with increased settler attacks resulting in the deaths of several Palestinians and the theft of their property, according to field reports.