In a searing analysis published via The Zioneer, journalist Haim Levinson argues the prime minister's three core assumptions about the Iranian regime, the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump's unwavering support all collapsed, leaving Israel without a strategy.
This is an opinion piece by Haim Levinson, a veteran Israeli journalist, published by The Zioneer on Thursday, June 18. Levinson details a strategic post-mortem of the second round of the Israel-Iran conflict, arguing it ended in 'total failure' by late February. He claims Netanyahu misjudged the resilience of the Iranian regime after the January protests (citing 30,000 alleged executions of protest leaders), failed to anticipate Tehran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz — an oversight Netanyahu himself reportedly admitted — and overestimated his leverage over Trump. Levinson calls for replacing the leadership and rebuilding ties with Washington. The piece reflects a sharp internal Israeli criticism of Netanyahu's wartime decision-making. The Zioneer has previously reported on the widening rift between Netanyahu and the Trump administration over the direction of Iran policy (see related articles).
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