Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that the International Criminal Court prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant for him, according to statements reported by multiple news outlets.

The Hague-based court declined to comment on Smotrich's claim, stating that applications for warrants are classified as secret. The ICC neither confirmed nor denied whether such proceedings are underway against the far-right minister.

Smotrich, who oversees Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank, made the announcement amid escalating tensions between Israel and the international court. The ICC has previously issued arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders in connection with the conflict in Gaza.

In response to what he described as retaliation for the prosecutor's actions, Smotrich threatened to evict Palestinians from a West Bank hamlet. The minister has been a vocal advocate for Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied territories.

The ICC was established to prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so. Israel does not recognize the court's jurisdiction and has rejected previous ICC proceedings related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.