With Iran’s government still standing, Israelis question Netanyahu’s leadership

After multiple military campaigns, Netanyahu faces political challenges ahead of elections as Israel’s wartime goals remain unfulfilled and ceasefires raise questions about U.S. influence over Israeli policy.

Iran’s government maintains power despite significant military damage from Israeli strikes. Hezbollah and Hamas, though weakened, have not been eliminated as threats. And increasingly, U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategic interests appear to be diverging from those of Israel.

For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, these incomplete military outcomes could spell trouble as elections loom later this year. Recent polling shows growing public dissatisfaction with his wartime leadership across multiple fronts.

When Israel and the U.S. launched their campaign against Iran in February, Netanyahu outlined ambitious goals: degrading the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities, eliminating its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and creating conditions for regime change. While Iran’s military capacity has indeed been severely damaged, it continues to threaten neighboring countries and maritime traffic through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

More significantly, Netanyahu’s other primary objectives remained unachieved when a ceasefire was announced earlier this month.

The pattern of unfinished military campaigns extends to Lebanon, where Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah ended with Israeli forces still occupying a 6-mile-deep buffer zone in southern Lebanon. Netanyahu acknowledged agreeing to this truce at Trump’s request but insisted Israel was “not finished yet” with the Iran-backed militant group.

Perhaps most critically for Israeli public opinion, the war in Gaza remains unresolved more than two years after Hamas’ October 2023 attack that triggered the conflict. Despite significant Israeli operations, Hamas – though weakened – continues to exist as a fighting force.

“After 925 days of fighting since October 7, Israel has failed to achieve decisive victory on any front,” noted Yoav Limor, a prominent Israeli military affairs commentator. “At the end of yet another war, it is perceived as a country whose decisions are not made in Jerusalem, but in Washington.”

Netanyahu has attempted to frame the Iranian campaign as a success, describing it as a preemptive strike against an “existential” threat. “We crushed the Iranian regime’s destruction machine in advance,” he recently claimed.

However, public trust in Netanyahu’s leadership plummeted following the 2023 Hamas attack and has not fully recovered despite some military achievements against Iran and Hezbollah. A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute found that while 64% of Israelis initially trusted Netanyahu to direct the Iranian campaign, sentiment shifted markedly after the April 8 ceasefire, with Israelis rating the government’s war management more negatively than positively.

The same poll, conducted before the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon, revealed that most Israelis believed operations against Hezbollah should have continued.

These consecutive ceasefires have raised questions about the Netanyahu-Trump relationship and broader U.S.-Israel ties. Most Israelis expressed skepticism that agreements between the U.S. and Iran would adequately address Israel’s security concerns.

Despite these tensions, Trump has continued to publicly support Israel, writing on Truth Social that “whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America.” He recently announced plans to host both Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House to discuss the truce.

An Israeli official speaking anonymously claimed Trump and Netanyahu still communicate daily. Last year, Netanyahu announced Trump would receive the prestigious Israel Prize, making him the first foreign leader to receive this honor. However, plans for Trump to accept the award during Israel’s independence celebrations in April never materialized.

The ceasefire with Lebanon has sparked particular outrage in northern Israeli communities that endured weeks of Hezbollah rocket fire. “I live 100 meters from the border,” said Asaf Oakil, a resident of Kiryat Shmona. “The ceasefire? It’s a mistake.”

With shops still closed and protests emerging, much of the public anger targets Netanyahu directly. “I really hope that the residents of the north will learn from this and vote for someone who can help us here, not someone who brings us down and buries us,” said Shosh Tsaoula, another Kiryat Shmona resident.

Netanyahu’s government must hold elections by October’s end as it reaches the conclusion of its four-year term. Opposition figures are already positioning themselves, with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid announcing plans to join forces. Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot is expected to align with them as well.

“With unstable ceasefires that can lapse at any given point, voters will not be happy about it,” warned commentator Nadav Eyal, suggesting Netanyahu faces “big trouble” unless he can convince Israelis that these wars have delivered lasting security gains.