Netanyahu using Lebanon escalation for political survival: Ori Goldberg

Two senior far-right Israeli ministers have called for an escalation of military operations in Lebanon, directly violating the ongoing ceasefire deal extended last week between the two countries. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for strikes on Beirut, saying: “For every explosive drone, ten buildings must fall in Beirut.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted on X: “It’s time for the Prime Minister to bang on Trump’s table and inform him that we are returning to war in Lebanon. We need to cut off the electricity in Lebanon, conquer Dahieh, and return to intense war.” In an interview on Al Jazeera, Israeli political commentator Ori Goldberg said the calls are “absolutely nothing to do with security” and have “nothing to do with winning a war.” He said Israel is “not in it to win it,” but rather “to destroy as much as possible, to create facts in the field and to buttress Netanyahu and his partners’ political agenda.” Goldberg added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is simultaneously pursuing political manoeuvres ahead of elections, including efforts to sideline Israeli-Palestinian parties, which he said would weaken opposition chances. On whether Netanyahu can extract concessions from US President Donald Trump to halt fighting in Lebanon, Goldberg said he does not believe Netanyahu “wields that much clout over Trump anymore,” arguing that Trump “smells weakness” and is attempting to extricate himself from what he described as a political and military quagmire. Goldberg described Netanyahu as “weak,” adding: “Israel can expand tremendous lethal power and still be very weak because it has no options and no vision and no sense of what it means to win.” Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://X.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #Israel #Lebanon #BenjaminNetanyahu #LebanonWar #IsraelWarOnLebanon #IsraelLebanonTalks #Hezbollah #IsraelLebanonCeasefire #IsraelPolitics #ItamarBenGvir #BezalelSmotrich #IsraeliElections