00:11An Israeli minister's son has been injured in a Hezbollah attack near the
00:17Lebanon border. In early March, Binaya Smatrich, the eldest son of Israel's
00:23finance minister Bezalel Smatrich, was wounded when Hezbollah targeted an
00:29Israeli military position in the Western Galilee region near the Lebanon border.
00:35The attack reportedly involved either rockets or an anti-tank missile fired at
00:41the Israeli Defense Forces position. Eight Israeli soldiers were injured in the
00:47strike, five sustained serious injuries while three had light to moderate wounds.
00:53All of them were airlifted to the Western Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya
00:59for treatment. Among them was Binaya Smatrich. Early reports described his
01:06injuries as severe. According to initial medical details, shrapnel penetrated his
01:12back and abdomen, tearing his liver and stopping near a major blood vessel. However,
01:18later updates from Israeli officials said his condition was lighter than first
01:24reported. Authorities said he was stable and receiving treatment, with monitoring in
01:30intensive care if required. Soon after the incident, unverified claims on social
01:37media suggested that Binaya Smatrich had died. These claims were not confirmed by any
01:44credible outlets and were widely considered misinformation. Binaya Smatrich grew up in
01:51the Kedumim settlement in the occupied West Bank and belongs to Israel's religious
01:57Zionist community. Reports also noted that he had recently been allocated land in a
02:03new Jewish settlement called Dror, built on the site of the former Bedouin village,
02:09Um el-Hiran, after its residents were displaced in 2024. The attack happened during escalating
02:18clashes between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanon border, part of wider regional tensions
02:25involving Iran and groups aligned with Tehran. The incident has also drawn attention because
02:33of the political role and controversial positions of Binaya's father, Bezalel Smatrich. Smatrich is
02:41Israel's far-right finance minister and leader of the religious Zionist party, a key member of
02:48Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition. He has frequently advocated hardline policies
02:56against Palestinians and Iran-aligned groups. Smatrich has supported expanding Israeli settlements in the
03:04West Bank and has called for the annexation of Palestinian territories. He has also backed the idea of
03:13resettling Jewish communities in Gaza and has supported large-scale Israeli military operations in
03:20Palestinian areas. In August 2025, Smatrich reportedly said during a cabinet discussion that civilians in
03:30Gaza should be left to die of hunger or surrender, a statement that drew strong international criticism.
03:37He has also denied the existence of a Palestinian people, calling it an invention of the past century.
03:46Just days before his son was wounded, Smatrich warned that Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahieh,
03:54could soon look like Khan Yunus, referencing the heavy destruction seen in Gaza during Israeli military operations.
04:03Because of these statements and policies, Smatrich has been widely criticized internationally,
04:09with critics accusing him of promoting policies that escalate conflict and undermine peace efforts in the region.
04:18The wounding of his son during frontline fighting has therefore drawn significant attention,
04:25as tensions in the region continue to rise.
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