Former prime minister Naftali Bennett sharply criticized Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on Thursday, downplaying Israel’s recent operations against Iran and arguing that the government’s overall performance in the war has fallen short.

Speaking during an interview on Channel 12, Bennett said Netanyahu has done very little when it comes to confronting the Iranian threat, despite ongoing military efforts.

Although Israel has carried out significant operations, including Am KeLavi and the current campaign, Bennett declined to credit Netanyahu for those achievements, maintaining that they do not amount to meaningful progress.

“We are not winning on any front. Not in Gaza, not in Lebanon, and in Iran we will still see.”

He went further, accusing Netanyahu of excessive rhetoric without sufficient action on Iran. “I stand behind every word in my claim that there has never been anyone who talked so much and did so little on the Iranian issue like Netanyahu.”

During the interview, Bennett also addressed warnings from the IDF chief of staff regarding the military’s condition, saying the government has ignored repeated concerns. He told anchor Yonit Levi that “The government has no shame. For a year the chief of staff has been crying out, ‘I don’t have soldiers’. It is the chief of staff’s duty to raise a red flag, and the political leadership is preventing the IDF from winning.”

Bennett argued that the true measure of success in the conflict will depend on long-term strategic outcomes, particularly regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities and missile programs. He questioned whether enriched uranium would be removed and whether Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs would be permanently dismantled.

“We need a strategic resolution, otherwise we will reach another round and another round.”

He also made clear that he would not serve under Netanyahu in any future government and revealed that he had offered former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot the position of his number two.

“In the meantime, he is delaying,” Bennett said.

{Matzav.com}