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In the only press conference he has given during the war with Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his nation's public they were living through “days that will be recorded in the annals of Israel”.
As Iranian ballistic missiles rained down on Israel for the second time in less than a year, as well as Hezbollah’s rockets, Mr Netanyahu said the current reality established “Israel's status as a power that is stronger than ever”.
“This dramatic shift in our power relative to the power of our enemies is the key to ensuring our existence,” he added.
“Through an unprecedented partnership between Israel and the US, we have achieved enormous accomplishments that are changing the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond.”
It was as if this latest turn in the cycle of war that began on October 7, 2023 − when militants from Gaza carried out the worst attack Israel has suffered in its history − was part of a wider plan to improve the county’s standing. Mr Netanyahu even renamed the ensuing war on Gaza as “The War of Revival” last year.
Israel has touted major military achievements since that conflict began. It significantly weakened (but did not eliminate) Hamas, despite the massive cost for Gazans and a genocide case being levelled against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Plans for reconstruction of the strip are stalling, prolonging the suffering of its people. The stagnancy enveloping Gaza’s future means demands for Israel to resettle the strip's population, a policy priority of some in Mr Netanyahu’s coalition government, are also, for now, not advancing.
Hezbollah in Lebanon was weakened and residents evacuated from northern Israel eventually returned, but the group has yet to be disarmed. Iran sustained a blow to its nuclear programme last June after a sustained Israeli bombing campaign paved the way for a major US strike, but appears to have retained some material.
With none of these wars tied up and Israel once again under significant bombardment, some are unconvinced by Mr Netanyahu’s attempt to cast the country's current situation as a vindication of his leadership.
“I think this was retroactive strategising, I don’t think there was a grand plan,” said Nimrod Novik, an Israeli peace negotiator and former senior adviser to the late prime minister Shimon Peres.
Mr Novik said he does not take the Iranian threat lightly but that it appears not enough planning went into how to build peace once the fighting ends.
“The common denominator in all of the operations since October 7 is the government not thinking about an exit strategy, or the 'day after',” he added.
“I don’t know if Netanyahu is intoxicated by the military successes, by the delusions of grandeur – remember he compares himself often to Churchill – but even the objectives of this war are not defined in terms that can enable the security establishment to translate them into operational terms.”
Mr Novik said Israel’s approach to the new government in Syria highlights the shortcomings in his country’s strategic approach to the Middle East today.
“Where is the maturity in Israel to bring the Saudis, the Emiratis, the Qataris, the French and the Turks around a table to square Israel’s legitimate security concerns with their efforts to stabilise and normalise Syria, something that I believe can actually be done?”
Regardless of the qualms of some, the vast majority of Jewish Israelis back the war on Iran but whether the campaign is helping the Prime Minister's political future is far from certain.
For most of the past two and a half years, Mr Netanyahu has been trailing in the polls, although no one from the beleaguered opposition is doing much to inspire either. During the attack on Iran last summer, polls tended to show only a modest increase in his standing, certainly not enough to tip the balance in elections, which are due in October.
One poll by the IDI, a leading Israeli think tank, found 64 per cent of Israelis trust Mr Netanyahu’s handling of the Iran operation, and 74 per cent of Jewish Israelis. That majority trust is a boost for the Prime Minister but, according to Israeli pollster Dahlia Scheindlin, does not necessarily equate to a major boost for his popularity.
“Support could rise as it did in June, which was very little, or, perhaps because the [current] operation is so big, it could lead to some real change for him in either direction,” she told The National.
The more cynical criticism of Mr Netanyahu alleges that he is waging war to improve his political ratings and distract from his continuing corruption trial.
On the latter point, US President Donald Trump has persisted with criticism of his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog for not using presidential powers to pardon Mr Netanyahu. Mr Trump said Mr Herzog “doesn’t need any legal opinions” and called him “a weak and pathetic guy” for not quashing the case.
