Ex-PM Bennett Claims IDF Opposed Sinwar Assassination Plan

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett revealed on Wednesday that the Israeli military and security establishment initially opposed a plan to assassinate Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during his premiership. Bennett stated that the possibility of eliminating Sinwar was discovered almost by accident during a military briefing in the Gaza Division.

According to Bennett, the security apparatus strongly resisted the idea, warning that such an action would ignite a war during a period of relative calm. "What do you want? Everything is quiet. Why would you start a war now? Who needs this?" he recalled them saying.

The assassination plan was revived in the spring of 2022 amid a wave of terror attacks. Bennett pushed for the operation, citing Sinwar's "axe speech" and the deadly attack in Elad, but security officials reportedly argued there was no connection between the speech and the attacks, claiming the perpetrator had not even heard it. Despite these reservations, Bennett claims a decision was made to proceed with the assassination, setting a target for the summer of 2022.

However, the plan was ultimately canceled due to the collapse of Bennett's government in June 2022. "In June, the government fell," Bennett concluded, explaining how political events thwarted the military operation.

Bennett made these remarks at the "Choosing Agriculture" conference hosted by the Farmers' Association of Israel.