Alon Ben David on ‘The Propaganda and Lies of ‘Supreme Leader’ Benjamin Netanyahu’ /

Ben Caspit: Netanyahu’s Lies and Imagined Victories /

Ronen Bergman: Netanyahu’s Promises vs Painful Realities /

Netanyahu’s post-ceasefire media statement to Israelis: “Iran is weaker than ever, Israel stronger than ever” /

Uri Misgav: “Blame can’t fall only on Netanyahu. A huge majority of Israeli public and Opposition enthusiastically supported war on Iran; believed in its absolute righteousness” /

Which Iran, which Israel will emerge from the war?

[These compilations are drawn from analysis & commentary by leading Israeli political, security and intelligence commentators in the Hebrew press — as reports published in Hebrew often provide a different window on Israeli internal discourse. Minor edits have been made for clarity].

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENTS; CONSEQUENTIAL OBSERVATIONS —

‘The Propaganda and Lies of “Supreme Leader” Benjamin Netanyahu’ (Alon Ben David, senior Israeli military commentator, Channel 13):

[Netanyahu’s words are] a collection of wishful thinking and half-truths … He says “Iran is weaker than ever,” that “we set them back years”. Well, Iran emerges strong from this war! Iran emerges as a new regional power. He says his friendship with Trump “changed the face of the Middle East.” Yes, to Israel’s detriment! Iran today projects power over Saudi Arabia, over the Emirates, over Qatar, over Kuwait. They all need to pay [Iran] (protection) to export their oil. Iran is now the landlord of the Persian Gulf … Therefore, to come and say “we set Iran back years” … No, we advanced it! Its regime is stronger than it was on February 27, standing firm, and with the money Iran will earn from this ceasefire, it will repair all the physical damage we caused.

Netanyahu’s post-ceasefire media statement to Israelis — “Iran is weaker than ever, Israel stronger than ever” (Anna Barsky, Ma’ariv, 8 April 2026):

[On 7 April], Netanyahu issued a statement to the media: “I want to thank you, our wonderful people. When you showed resilience, you sat in the barracks and shelters – we achieved tremendous achievements together, our fighters on the front lines and you – on the home front. The State of Israel has achieved tremendous achievements … that until recently would have seemed completely imaginary. Iran is weaker than ever, Israel is stronger than ever – that is the situation right now. And there are other goals, and we will achieve them – either through an agreement, or by renewing the fighting. We will return to fighting whenever necessary … This is a stop on the way to achieving all [our] goals … Trump and I talk every day and we smile at each other when we hear the assessments that our relations are not good. Anyone who chooses to ignore the strength of this partnership is simply ignoring the truth.”

He then addressed [Trump] directly: “ … My friend Donald, I want to thank you for the deep friendship and deep friendship”. He continued: “We have undermined the foundations of the regime: we have destroyed the missile production plants … We have severely damaged the nuclear program, destroyed centrifuge factories and eliminated more nuclear scientists.[Regarding Lebanon]: “I insisted that the ceasefire not include Hezbollah and we continue to hit it. The biggest blow it has suffered since the pagers. We attacked 100 targets in 10 minutes, in places where Hezbollah was sure they were immune.”

Uri Misgav (leading opposition protest spokesman):

“Blame can’t fall only on Netanyahu. A huge majority of Israeli public and Opposition enthusiastically supported war on Iran; believed in its absolute righteousness and the ability to achieve its insane goals”.

Yossi Melman (leading intelligence commentator):

Approximately an hour before the ceasefire, the PM of Pakistan … announced that the ceasefire would also apply to Lebanon … The IDF also understood it that way. But toward morning, Netanyahu clarified that the war against Hezbollah would continue. [IDF] Chief of Staff Zamir echoed him. Netanyahu and the Generals love wars. Each for his own reasons … In contrast, most Israeli citizens are actually pleased with the ceasefire. After forty days of sweltering nights, exhaustion, dozens of dead, collapsing homes, thousands of wounded, damage amounting to tens of billions to the economy — a bit of normalcy won’t hurt. At least for two weeks … It’s regrettable that the opposition leaders, in order to bash Netanyahu, continue to stoke the flames of war. They could have welcomed the ceasefire and continued to accuse Netanyahu of failure. [But in stoking the flames of war] they place the public in a tough dilemma: they don’t offer it a choice between bad and good, but between bad and worse.

Israeli commentator Gideon Levy:

Israel’s opposition has no right to criticise [Netanyahu]. Anyone who cheered the war at its outset, all the Yair Lapids and Yair Golans who didn’t dare say one negative word about joining the war, who lined up in its justification, lost their right to criticise it. You supported it? Be quiet now. All those who saluted the war, some out of cowardice, others out of shortsightedness, most out of both, who proposed bombing and destruction while establishing grotesque “hasbara war rooms,” cannot now assail Netanyahu over the war.

Oppositions Leaders accuse Netanyahu of weakness & failure (Ma’ariv):

Opposition leader and MK Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of “a political disaster that has never happened in the entire history of the State of Israel”: “There has never been such a political disaster in our entire history. Israel was not even at the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security”. “The army did everything it was asked to do, the public showed incredible resilience, but Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically and stood up to no one … It will take us years to repair the political and strategic damage that Netanyahu has caused, as a result of arrogance, negligence and lack of strategic planning.”

Chairman of Democrats, Maj. Gen. (res.) and MK Yair Golan, also attacked: “Netanyahu lied. He promised a ‘historic victory’ and security for generations, and in reality we received one of the worst strategic failures Israel has ever known … Civilians killed. Heroic warriors fell. An entire country in shelters. The IDF did its part with strength and brought achievements, but the Netanyahu-Smotrich-Ben Gvir government once again failed to translate them into victory.” “None of the goals were achieved … [Iran] remained intact and even emerged from this war stronger … controls the Straits of Hormuz and dictates the terms. And Israel again, as in Gaza, was not in the room” … “This is not a ‘historic victory’. This is a complete failure that endangers Israel’s security for years to come”.

Walla and Maariv Poll (9 April):

46% of Israelis believe the US and Israel did not achieve victory; 22% believe victory was achieved; the remaining polled Israelis did not see a clear victory for either side. 63% of polled Israelis were dissatisfied with the outcome of the war and 43% expressed dissatisfaction with Trump’s actions during the conflict.

Is Lebanon Included in the Ceasefire? — Depends Who You Ask (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth Ahoronot, 8 April):

The two-week ceasefire announced on (Wednesday) by Trump, will also include Lebanon. Senior security sources familiar with the details of the temporary ceasefire agreement reached between Iran and the United States told Ynet. A few hours after the announcement, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that the two-week ceasefire agreement does not include Lebanon … This is not a final agreement … but this interim agreement, which concerns a cessation of hostilities, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the entry into accelerated negotiations, is a dramatic step on the way to a permanent agreement … It was agreed, as stated, that the ceasefire will also apply to the Lebanese arena. In other words, when Iran opens the Strait of Hormuz, Israel and Hezbollah will secure their weapons.

“A few days of operational grace” for intensive attacks against Hezbollah before US pressure for calm (Anna Barsky, Ma’ariv, 10 April):

According to sources involved in [US-Israeli] talks … the focus of the quiet discourse currently taking place between several capitals [is] to allow the IDF, and especially the Air Force, additional time for intensive activity against Hezbollah … Israel says that as long as most of the attention and air resources were devoted to the Iranian arena, there was no real possibility of carrying out what was planned in Lebanon. Now, with the changing picture, there are those in Israel who believe that now is the time to take advantage of the created space for action. Assessments in Israel speak of a partial American understanding of this need … [However there] is a fear that Trump will send his envoys, Witkoff and Kushner, or will activate direct channels, to tell Israel that the blow has already been dealt and that it is time to move on to the next stage … In the talks … the possibility of a quieter formula is emerging, in which Israel would be given a short period of time to strike as broad a blow as possible on Hezbollah’s infrastructure, and then systematic American pressure would be applied to try to stabilise the northern front. Jerusalem believes … [it has] a few days of operational grace … After that, Israel estimates that an orderly American appeal will arrive … in about two days … Jerusalem wants to first complete the blow to Hezbollah, and only then move on to the political phase.

Ron Dermer removed as Israel’s Lebanon Envoy after he pressed for Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire (Anna Barsky, Ma’ariv)

[Netanyahu confidant] Ron Dermer … pressed to include Lebanon in the agreement … Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected to begin next week in Washington. The one who will lead the negotiations with the Lebanese government is the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, and not Ron Dermer … According to sources familiar with the details, Dermer believed that the demand to include Lebanon in the ceasefire should be met, but the IDF and the defense establishment opposed it. Ultimately, according to them, Netanyahu decided not to agree to the Iranian demand to apply a temporary ceasefire to Lebanon as well, and the issue was closed in a direct conversation between him and Trump … Meanwhile, [Trump] asked Netanyahu in a phone call to reduce attacks in Lebanon, in order not to harm talks with Iran, NBC reported, citing a senior US administration official. Although Washington and Jerusalem emphasize that Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire agreement, Israel has agreed to “be a helpful partner” in the process.

LEADING ISRAELI COMMENTATORS ON THE STRATEGIC BALANCE, AS OF NOW:

Netanyahu’s Lies and Imagined Victories (Ben Caspit, Ma’ariv, 9 April):

The mockery with which [Netanyahu] spoke about our imagined victories under his leadership is rivalled only by the mockery with which he speaks about all those … who have actually achieved achievements … Netanyahu is a man who is all talk … In the end … when the gunpowder dissipates, we are left with what we are left with: declarations, threats, statements, promises, bragging and nonsense … next to which is a wonderful nothingness.

Don’t get me wrong: I was “for the war” … The [2023] October War was forced upon us, but we emerged from it thanks to our own merits – not thanks to him. Thanks to us … The war on Hezbollah is just beyond compare, and the war on Iran is the most just since our ancestors began fighting each other at the dawn of history. I am not one of those who hesitate when force must be used, and in our neighborhood, those who do not possess force and are unable to use it to defend themselves – will not survive …

When he should have defined goals in advance – he defined only one goal: that the war last as long as possible. His leading interest was himself … We can only hope that the lies he lied to Trump will not cost us dearly, and that they will not turn on him and come back to haunt us. Because [Trump], who is the only one who brags more than Netanyahu, is a fickle president. He will not be here in three years; we will …

“The goal of the operation,” the headlines and commentators shouted, “is to eliminate the nuclear weapons, eliminate the ballistic missile threat, and overthrow the regime.” Today, 40 days later, none of these goals have been achieved … The bottom line: Hamas controls Gaza and is getting stronger, with the support of Qatar and Turkey. Hezbollah suffered heavy blows, but survived and harassed us aggressively until the last moment. The Iranian regime withstood a massive attack by two superpowers for weeks — and survived. Not only survived: it currently holds all the enriched uranium, quite a few ballistic missiles and their launchers, and the Strait of Hormuz … We still don’t know how it will end and what will happen … We do know that we have learned the limits of power – not just ours, but even that of American power …

Netanyahu’s Promises vs Painful Realities (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth Ahoronot, 9 April):

In a war led by two leaders who change the goals, the achievements, and without hesitation – the facts, it is difficult for the public to follow and form an opinion. Although an agreement has not yet been reached to close the war … we can discern some significant [things] … In public, Iran is making demands that will seem to Israeli and American eyes as crazy, outrageous, and delusional … but in talks with intermediary countries, the Iranians speak in a different language, and offer conditions that will be roughly along the same lines as those they offered in talks with the US in Geneva, which were blown up by the Americans, who attacked [Iran] two days later. If this is indeed what will be signed – including the dilution of enriched uranium or its shipment to Russia, a reduction in uranium enrichment, an Iranian promise to stop supporting proxies, and … the opening of the Strait of Hormuz to free navigation, many will say … we can live with this … [However] Iran has already informed senior intelligence and military officials on behalf of mediating countries that the two conditions that it did not agree to accept in Geneva … are also now out of the question: there will be no enrichment [restrictions]. In other words, Iran will not dismantle [its enriched uranium] and will not stop restoring the “nuclear fuel cycle” … The second issue: dismantling its missile project, which Israel sees as an existential threat, or at least a commitment to limit the range of its missiles to 500 km, Iran says there is nothing to talk about [on this] …

The Israel-Hezbollah-Lebanon front: Trump will soon have to make a difficult choice between Israel’s wishes and his own desire for the Agreement. “Israel will also have to choose how to get out of the trap it has fallen into,” says a senior official, “either blow up the most important agreement in the world right now or fold. In my opinion, the second. American patience, in my opinion, is running out. They didn’t understand that we would do something so unusual. It’s to the point where some people think we’re deliberately thwarting the agreement.”

The last 24 hours of Trump’s ultimatum were a frantic and nerve-wracking race for many of the participants in an attempt to prevent expanded American action. A look behind the scenes of the negotiations that culminated on Tuesday in an agreement on how to reach an agreement reveals a great effort by Iran and the United States to close the story [or the war], each with its own motives, alongside an identical, opposite effort by Israel and some of the Gulf states to influence in exactly the opposite direction – to go all the way … Others, like Vance, who opposed [the war from the outset] … influenced the President to ultimately accept an agreement that, for the time being, at least, does not achieve any of the original war goals — not [Trump’s], certainly not Netanyahu’s …

There will be more talk, investigation, and stories about what the Mossad’s plan to overthrow the regime in Iran was and who was to blame for its failure, along with an examination of how it was presented and how it was perceived in Trump’s mind … Netanyahu promised that he had removed the nuclear and missile threat back in June. It was a lie, and the pretense of removing it quickly turned out to be hopeless. This is the difference between words and missiles. The former do not cost money. The latter cost blood … Netanyahu tried to convince Trump to continue, that destroying the chemical industry infrastructure and oil facilities would bring Iran to its knees … [but] there were also people, led by Vance, who warned Trump not to fall for these false promises again.

Trump’s ceasefire leaves Netanyahu flustered (Ben Caspit, Al-Monitor):

Trump’s decision to pursue a ceasefire … puts Israel in a difficult position: despite its military achievements, Tehran may be emerging as the victor … [Iran’s] capabilities, combined with [its] resilience under heavy sustained bombardment … were sufficient to give it the upper hand … If and when the sides reach a negotiated agreement, the conflict could be seen as a tactical victory for Israel but a strategic defeat … it may have lost long-term leverage … Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s former Defense Minister, often responds to questions about the state of affairs in recent years saying, “Nothing good is looming on the horizon”. That sentiment reflects a broader national mood … “Netanyahu has proven once again his ability to enter conflicts but not exit them,” a former associate of Netanyahu [said]. “He is incapable of planning an exit strategy, remaining realistic and telling the truth, and to avoid overcommitting” … Many in Israel hope that the major gaps in negotiations will undermine a final agreement, forcing Trump to resume the US campaign until the regime in Tehran collapses. But they also realise that such an outcome is unlikely.

Former Israeli Deputy National Security Adviser Eran Etzion: The Strategic Balance, as of now; Gulf States main losers; their economic and security models have collapsed

The main losers — Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and all the Gulf states. Their economic model has collapsed … Their security concept, which was based on an American defense umbrella and American bases on their territory, has collapsed. The working assumptions regarding the understandings with Iran have collapsed. The immediate and long-term damages — colossal. There are no clear and attractive alternatives. Deep thinking and rebuilding of basic strategic concepts and economic and energy resilience are required.

The overall Israeli balance sheet — Significant military achievements against Iran; Joint fighting with the US and demonstrating operational and intelligence assets. But the bet on regime change failed. Dragged the US into war with false promises — strategic damage for generations … Collapse of decision-making processes, and the heads of the security services’ resignation to Netanyahu. Complete disconnection of the government from the public. Paralysis of the economy and closure of Ben Gurion Airport for a month – exposing strategic weakness. Stretching the IDF beyond its capacity, to the point of ‘collapsing into itself’. Astronomical economic damage, hidden from the public. Promotion of the coup d’état and suppressing protest and freedom of expression, under the cover of war. Closed natural gas exports and failing to honour contracts.

Which Iran, which Israel will emerge from the war? (Ben Caspit, Ma’ariv, 10 April):

[At] the cabinet meeting that took place on [8 April], to mark the (temporary?) final episode of the [war], which is in the final stages, [it] is unbelievable, but true: the ministers were united in their opinion that the war achievements were fantastic. “We made history,” said some of them, pointing to the unprecedented cooperation with the US (it’s true), the divine victories, the military achievements (amazing by any measure), the fact that no one can defeat us, and that we have met all the tasks and hit all the targets. When it came to the details, they got a little stuck … Well, the enriched uranium is still in Iran. That’s true. It is also not clear whether it will come out of it. And the regime, well, the regime hasn’t collapsed yet. But it will collapse … We don’t have a date right now. The ballistic project is alive, existing and being launched towards us and all the other Arabs for almost two months straight. The proxies are also shooting and kicking. From Hezbollah to the Houthis. And there’s a bonus: Iran has become the official owner of the Strait of Hormuz, and chances are good that when the war is over, it will be able to collect transit fees there, which will make the Iranian economy prosperous and the Ayatollahs, that is, those who remain there, will be swimming in money … Oh, we forgot Hezbollah. No, it is not disarmed. Nor has it lost its launching and combat capabilities …

So the atmosphere of the historic victory in the cabinet was not complete. Several of those present reported afterwards a feeling of sourness, not to mention a slight and annoying gloom, because no one understands the magnitude of the victory … The general feeling was that the way the war ended, without achieving any of its goals … will keep the right out of power in the upcoming elections.

The question is which Iran will emerge from the [war] and which Israel will emerge from it. The answer is not clear. Because if the Iranians are indeed going to get a license to collect tax from every ship that passes through Hormuz, we are in trouble. If they get rid of the sanctions and get a goldmine in the form of control over the Strait, we will still miss Ali Khamenei. Not to mention Iran’s immediate neighbors, the United Arab Emirates and all that … We should be worried, this war could create a new regional economic power, which is both Shiite, extremist, violent and vengeful and continues to stubbornly plan our elimination. It is true that the nuclear danger has been postponed, but it has not passed …

If [Iran gets a nuclear bomb], the story is over … It ends, almost always, the way it ends in Gaza. Two years of war, hundreds of deaths, 1,200 murdered, and in the end Hamas is the same Hamas, Gaza is the same Gaza, plus Qatar and Turkey. And Iran … in the end the most significant achievement of the war as of now is the opening of a Strait that was open before [the war]. Could it have been planned differently? Yes, of course. Without selling Trump … legends …

‘Alienated in disgust’: There is something … even bigger than the Iranian story. I’m talking about the American story. About the strategic alliance between Israel and the US, which is the Jewish state’s greatest security, political and economic asset, by an order of magnitude greater than all other assets … Relations with America are supposed to be our etrog. We must not touch, we must not spoil, we must not shock, we must not endanger. We must treat it as the holy of holies. Exactly the opposite of the behavior of the savage Netanyahu in recent years. And now, all of this is in real danger. A fresh PEW survey in the US has published shocking, sleep-inducing data on our situation among the American electorate: for the first time ever, 60% of Americans hold a negative opinion of Israel, only 37% of them hold a positive opinion. During the Bennett-Lapid government, the situation was 55% positive and 41% negative.Dislike of Israel is prominent among Democrats, but it also exists and is growing among Republicans. In both parties, the majority of voters under 50 are against us. These numbers are hard to digest. We are essentially exchanging places with the Palestinians. At this rate, we will become alienated from disgust.

Netanyahu and his government cannot be exempted from direct responsibility … More and more American media outlets and opinion leaders are blaming Netanyahu for dragging Trump into a war that is perceived by most of the American public as an unnecessary, deceitful war. If it does end in a fiasco … it will not be long before Israel becomes the scapegoat of large sections of the American public, and a significant part of the political map. Netanyahu will leave behind ruins. Israel’s transformation into [just] “another country” … and the loss of its status as a preferred ally could be the greatest disaster to befall us since the founding of the state. Everything must be done to prevent this.

We must not forget that in the end, this alliance is truly founded on shared values. When they peek in here and see Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, the rampage in Judea and Samaria, the systematic erosion of democracy, our transformation into a regional brat, and our long-standing whining about all the accepted Western conventions, they draw conclusions … The Holocaust generation is no longer here, the middle generation is also on its way out, the younger generation looks at us and gets sick. Rightly or wrongly. Our biggest and most important support is on the way to breaking. Thank you, Bibi …

In 2001, [Netanyahu] went to the US Congress … to convince them that America must invade Iraq and overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein. The entire segment was filmed and exists online. This was America after the September 11 attacks and after the invasion of Afghanistan, [and] the Americans were looking for additional targets to vent their anger on. Netanyahu was good for them. He explained, in an authoritative and convincing baritone, that if Saddam’s Sunni regime fell, it would project American power in all directions and would also bring about the containment or fall of the Shiite regime in Iran. The Americans bought it, invaded Iraq, and were buried in a quagmire that cost trillions, buried thousands of fighters, and produced zero results. Everyone misses Saddam Hussein today. They haven’t forgotten him. The invasion of Iraq was disastrous, even in our eyes. That was the reason why no American president after it agreed to hear about action in Iran.