Israeli politicians across the ideological spectrum have welcomed US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, with only a minority of left-wingers warning that an open-ended war could have devastating consequences for the Middle East.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, widely viewed as one of the strongest challengers to current leader Benjamin Netanyahu in the next elections, described the strikes as “a historic action that crushes the nuclear head of the Iranian octopus”.
“The President of the United States, Donald Trump, displayed the might of the United States in the face of evil and his uncompromising leadership against the danger to the entire world,” Mr Bennet said in a post on X.
The praise of politicians such as Mr Bennet reveal quite how single-minded most Israeli politicians are in the campaign against Iran and how the strikes have, for now, secured Mr Netanyahu's political future, despite him being in the midst of political and legal crises before the war with Iran began.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who at one point nearly quit Mr Netanyahu’s government over a Gaza ceasefire deal, wrote on X: “God Bless President Trump. God Bless America. God Bless the United States Army. God Bless the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Yair Lapid, the leader of Israel’s opposition and one of Mr Netanyahu’s highest-profile critics, said: “Thank you President Trump for your historic decision. Israel, the Middle East and the world are now safer.”
Democrats leader Yair Golan, who heads arguably the most dynamic party on Israel’s beleaguered and dwindling left, described the US strikes as “impressive, important and justified”.
He continued with a call for peace: “And as President Trump wrote: Now is the time for peace. For a comprehensive agreement, for the release of the hostages, for an end to the war, for regional normalisation, for real security for the citizens of Israel.”
“And for the citizens of Israel - complex days lie ahead."
Far-left criticism
Politician Ofer Cassif, on the far left, criticised the US attack, saying it worsens an “already harsh reality”.
“The attack on Iran will, in the not-so-distant future, be revealed, as happened with Iraq in 2003, as a deception serving those in power, paid for by the peoples – in Israel, in Palestine, in Iran, and throughout the region,” he said.
Many politicians called on the Israeli public to stick to civilian rules issued by the military and to seek shelter during Iranian barrages. Israel further tightened the rules after the American strikes.
Sarit Zehavi of the Alma Research and Education Centre, an Israeli think tank, said Iran’s missiles were “very different” to those fired by groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah in other conflicts.
“Hezbollah rockets would destroy a room or a home. Iran missiles [mean] a street destroyed,” she said. “The missiles of Iran appear to be very accurate. What is happening now is that you have 30 missiles in a barrage you need to intercept,” said Ms Zehavi, which differs from previous barrages when many less accurate rounds would hit open areas.
She added that the current rate of Iran’s fire “can still continue for at least a month, in a worst-case scenario”.
