MALANGRAYA.CO — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing increasing political pressure after a series of wars against Iran and its allies did not produce results according to the targets set. Public dissatisfaction with his government’s wartime leadership is growing, as reflected in recent opinion polls, ahead of elections scheduled for later this year.
At the start of the war against Iran at the end of February, Netanyahu stated that the target of the operation was to cripple the Islamic Republic’s military, eliminate its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and create conditions for the regime’s overthrow.
However, despite Iran’s military suffering serious damage, the country still poses a threat to neighboring countries and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Netanyahu’s other goals were not met when the ceasefire was announced earlier this month.
The ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon was also terminated early. Netanyahu said he agreed to a ceasefire at US President Donald Trump’s request, but insisted Israel was “not done” with the Iran-backed militant group. Israeli troops still occupy a six-mile-wide area in southern Lebanon.
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The dissatisfaction seen in the poll comes over the unresolved war in the Gaza Strip — another case in which Trump pressured Netanyahu to halt military operations. More than two years after the October 2023 Hamas attack that it claims sparked the war in Gaza, the Iran-backed militant group is weakened but still standing strong.
“People are disappointed that the war did not achieve its goals,” said Dahlia Scheindlin, a political analyst in Tel Aviv.
A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute during the first week of the war against Iran showed a majority of respondents, 64%, trusted Netanyahu to direct an offensive war campaign. However, a second poll after the April 8 ceasefire found that Israelis rated the government’s management of the war—not just Netanyahu—more negatively than positively.
Commentator Nadav Eyal warned Netanyahu was in “big trouble” if he could not convince Israelis that the war against Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas had guaranteed lasting security for Israel. ***
