In Israel, calls emerge to expand borders at the expense of Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria

Israel's Finance Minister and leader of the ultra-right Religious Zionism party, Bezalel Smotrich, has advocated for the expansion of the Jewish state's borders.

According to him, this could be achieved through the annexation of the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon, and border areas of Syria.

Smotrich, who also oversees settlement activities in the West Bank within the government, made this statement during a cornerstone-laying ceremony for a new Jewish settlement, Maoz-Tzur, on Palestinian territories, as reported by the Ynet portal. According to the politician, Israel's current military campaigns in the region should be solidified through political decisions.

"There will be a political step in Gaza, which will expand our borders, there will be a decisive political step in Lebanon, which will extend our borders to the Litani River on defensible lines, and there will be a decisive political step in Syria, at least [with the annexation of territories around] the peak of Mount Hermon and the buffer zone," Smotrich asserted.

In his view, such actions are appropriate in the context of the Middle East. "This is what is respected in our region, and this is what is necessary to ensure our security," the minister believes.

Currently, the Israeli army controls about half of the Gaza Strip's territory. Following the change of power in Syria in 2024, it has taken control of the peak of Mount Hermon and the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, and is now conducting an offensive in southern Lebanon, with the stated goal of creating a buffer zone up to the Litani River. Additionally, Israel controls the West Bank, a territory that Smotrich has long proposed to fully annex.