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Yair Lapid called it a ‘political disaster,’ saying that Netanyahu wasn't even ‘at the table’ when decisions were made for Israel. He also accused Netanyahu of failing to achieve the war's objectives.
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (REUTERS)Israel's main opposition leader, Yair Lapid, sharply criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the United States and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday.
The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in an 11th-hour bid to avert all-out destruction of Iran threatened by US President Donald Trump. Israel said it supported Trump's decision to suspend his bombing of Iran, but maintained the ceasefire "does not include Lebanon".
Lapid called it a “political disaster,” saying that Netanyahu wasn't even “at the table” when decisions were made for Israel. He also accused Netanyahu of failing to achieve the war's objectives.
‘Political disaster’: Lapid
In a post on X, Yair Lapid said, “There has never been such a political disaster in all of our history. Israel wasn't even at the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security.”
“The military carried out everything that was asked of it, the public demonstrated amazing resilience, but Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and didn't meet a single one of the goals that he himself set,” he added.
The Israeli opposition leader also claimed that it will take the country “years to repair the political and strategic damage that Netanyahu wrought due to arrogance, negligence, and a lack of strategic planning.”
What were Israel's war objectives?
The central goal of the war for Israel was the elimination or at least severe degradation of Iran's nuclear programme, which Netanyahu had described as an "existential threat" to his country.
He has also called for neutralising Iran's ballistic missile capabilities, weakening or potentially toppling the Iranian regime, and curbing Tehran's regional influence by targeting its network of allied groups.
According to the Associated Press (AP), citing a source, there are concerns in Israel about the agreement. The person said Israel would like to achieve more.
Israel follows up on ‘not Lebanon’
After Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif brokered the ceasefire between the US and Iran, and claimed that the agreement included a cessation of Israel's campaign in Lebanon, Netanyahu said the ceasefire “does not apply to Lebanon”.
Soon after, Israel's military issued repeated urgent warnings to residents of Lebanon's Tyre to evacuate their homes immediately and move north of the Zahrani River, saying it would strike the area.
However, Reuters, citing Lebanese sources, said Hezbollah halted fire on northern Israel and on Israeli troops in Lebanon as part of the ceasefire.
Hezbollah is soon expected to issue a statement outlining its formal position on the ceasefire and on Netanyahu's assertion that Lebanon is not included, the sources told Reuters.
Airstrikes on Saudi Arabia and Israel
Missile alerts were issued in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait after the ceasefire announcement. A gas processing facility in Abu Dhabi was ablaze after an incoming Iranian fire, officials said.
Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli military said it attacked an Iranian petrochemical site in Shiraz, the second day in a row it hit such a facility. The military later said it struck bridges used by Iranian forces to transport weapons and military equipment.
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