Ex-Israeli officials say Netanyahu government hijacked state, failing Iran war
Former leaders say war objectives collapsed as US-backed military strategy leaves Israel weakened and dependent
TEL AVIV, Israel (MNTV) — Three former senior Israeli officials have sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, accusing it of “hijacking” the state and failing to meet its objectives in the war against Iran.
According to Anadolu Agency, they also say the country is experiencing deep political breakdown alongside increasing reliance on the United States.
Former army chiefs of staff Dan Halutz and Moshe Ya’alon, writing in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, said Israel has been effectively taken over by a leadership that treats state resources as private property.
They argued that the government is completely disconnected from public reality and is operating as if the country belongs personally to Netanyahu, his wife Sara Netanyahu, and Transport Minister Miri Regev.
The former officials urged the Israeli public to “take back control” of the country ahead of expected elections in October, framing the political situation as a breakdown of democratic governance.
Ya’alon, who previously also served as defense minister, joined Halutz in warning that Israel’s leadership has lost strategic direction during wartime.
In a separate Haaretz article, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak delivered an equally sharp assessment, saying that although Israel’s adversaries suffered losses, none of the stated war objectives were achieved.
He said Hamas remains in Gaza and Hezbollah continues to operate in Lebanon, while Iran has survived what he described as a joint Israeli–US military campaign.
Barak added that neither Iran’s nuclear program nor its ballistic missile capabilities were eliminated, describing the outcome as a “serious strategic and political failure” given expectations of a decisive Israeli and American victory.
He further criticized Israel’s growing subordination to Washington, saying the country has effectively become dependent on the United States, which he claimed dictated operational and diplomatic decisions through “harsh and sometimes humiliating” directives.
The comments come amid Israel’s war on the region backed by the United States, including sustained strikes in Lebanon that have reportedly killed 2,294 people, wounded 7,544, and displaced over one million before a ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump.
Israel also colluded with the United States in launching a war against Iran beginning February 28, which, according to reported figures, left more than 3,000 people dead in Iran before a temporary truce was announced on April 8 with mediation involving Pakistan.
Analysts say the internal criticism highlights growing fractures within Israel’s political and military establishment, as questions intensify over the effectiveness of US-aligned military strategy and its long-term consequences for regional stability.
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