Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded Saturday evening to former minister Gadi Eisenkot's warning that Lebanon is a political graveyard for Israeli leaders, saying that if military necessity requires a ground operation in Lebanon, Israel will enter regardless of political costs. Netanyahu's remarks, quoted by journalist Amit Segal (N12), come amid ongoing tensions on the northern front and weeks of conflicting signals over potential escalation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against former minister Gadi Eisenkot's characterization of Lebanon as a political graveyard for Israeli leaders, vowing that operational necessity would trump personal political risk. The exchange, reported by Amit Segal (N12) on Saturday at 21:09 Jerusalem, marks the latest in a series of public disagreements between senior political figures over the direction of Israeli policy on the northern front.
Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff and minister, had asserted that Lebanon has historically been a political grave for Israeli prime ministers — from Menachem Begin to Ehud Olmert to Netanyahu himself. Netanyahu's response was blunt: 'If we need to enter Lebanon, we will. Who cares if it's a political grave?'
The incident adds to a weeks-long debate inside Israel's security establishment over the scope of operations opposite Hezbollah and the viability of a prolonged ground presence. Netanyahu has repeatedly stated in recent days that the IDF will stay in southern Lebanon 'as long as needed' — a position he reiterated in multiple public appearances this month, including a memorial marking 50 years since Operation Entebbe and a subsequent news conference rejecting an Iranian demand to withdraw from Lebanon in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The question of whether the current policy amounts to an open-ended commitment — and who bears political responsibility if it falters — remains unresolved. The Prime Minister's remarks Saturday were unequivocal in tone but did not signal a specific operational decision.
2 developments
- DevelopingEisenkot: 'Lebanon is a political grave for Israeli PMs from Begin to Netanyahu'
- DevelopingEisenkot: Netanyahu broke 80-year security doctrine by seeking US approval for operations
- DevelopingNetanyahu attacks Gantz: 'He would not have struck Iran'
- ConfirmedNetanyahu details Lebanon security-zone framework; warns Iran against attack
Source and signal
- Internal intake