Israeli energy minister says Israel should bomb civilian infrastructure in Lebanon

BEIRUT — Israeli Energy and Infrastructure Minister and member of the political-security cabinet, Eli Cohen, said he does not believe negotiations between Israel and Lebanon can succeed and expressed his conviction that Israel must bomb additional Lebanese infrastructure.

"In my opinion, we should not only strike Beirut's southern suburb, but also sites and infrastructure linked to the Lebanese state itself, and I have said this within the cabinet. I don't give these negotiations strong chances," he said in an interview with the Israeli news site Ynet.

Eli Cohen also discussed the failed negotiations between the United States and Iran during this interview, saying: "The nuclear issue is international, and it is positive that Trump sets red lines on this matter."

He added that "if there is no agreement, Iran could [again] be bombed."

Israel has already destroyed numerous pieces of civilian infrastructure in southern Lebanon, including bridges, parts of the water supply network, and even Electricité du Liban antennas. On April 8, Israel carried out 100 indiscriminate strikes across the country within ten minutes, killing more than 350 people—including many civilians—as well as wounding more than 1,000.