Opposition leaders attack Netanyahu's handling of Iran and Hezbollah

Yair Lapid, Benny Gantz, and Avigdor Lieberman accuse Benjamin Netanyahu of having failed to neutralize Iran and Hezbollah in a lasting way.

i24NEWS
i24NEWS
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The leader of the Israeli opposition, Yair Lapid, leads a meeting of the Yesh Atid parliamentary group at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on May 18, 2026.
The leader of the Israeli opposition, Yair Lapid, leads a meeting of the Yesh Atid parliamentary group at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on May 18, 2026.Chaim Goldberg/ FLASH90

The leaders of the Israeli opposition harshly criticized Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, accusing him of failing to achieve a strategic victory against Iran and Hezbollah as a possible agreement between Washington and Tehran approaches.

Yair Lapid described the agreement being prepared between the United States and Iran as a “disaster,” arguing that it addressed neither the Iranian ballistic threat nor the stated goal of weakening the Tehran regime.

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"The regime has not collapsed, it has been strengthened," declared the leader of Yesh Atid in front of the press at the Knesset. He also denounced the fact that the discussions were held "without Israel at the negotiating table."

According to Lapid, "the Netanyahu government sets goals and systematically fails to achieve them." The former Prime Minister accused Benjamin Netanyahu of being "tired" and surrounded by "the least suitable people to lead a country."

Yair Lapid insisted that Israel must preserve its freedom of military action, regardless of American decisions. “Israel is a sovereign state, not an American protectorate,” he declared, calling on Netanyahu to make it clear to Donald Trump that Israel would not be bound by any agreement that jeopardizes its security.

The leader of Israel Beiteinu, Avigdor Lieberman, also warned that it was “only a matter of time” before Hezbollah drones struck Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. “Our soldiers simply have their hands tied in Lebanon,” exclaimed the former Defense Minister.

Benny Gantz has also taken an equally aggressive stance. The former chief of staff declared that "the best defense against Hezbollah is attack," stating that if explosive drones continued to strike Israel, "no plane should take off from Beirut."

Regarding Iran, Benny Gantz believes that Israel should only end the campaign after "the destruction or removal of Iranian enriched uranium," the halt of the long-range ballistic missile program, and the end of Tehran's funding of regional proxies.

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