Netanyahu Says Israel Should Enter Lebanon If Necessary, Dismissing Political Costs

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to remarks by Yesh Atid chairman Gadi Eisenkot in an interview with ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth, where Eisenkot said Lebanon is a “political graveyard.” Netanyahu said he remembers what Eisenkot and others said while Israel was still fighting in Gaza, when they urged a halt to the campaign.

He said critics had already argued against moving deeper into Gaza, adding that while Israeli forces were in Khan Younis they were told not to enter Rafah or seize the Philadelphi Corridor. Netanyahu presented those warnings as examples of advice he rejected.

In his most pointed remark, Netanyahu said, “If we need to enter Lebanon, we enter Lebanon. Who cares that it is a political graveyard?” The comments framed possible military action in Lebanon as a decision that should be made on security grounds rather than political consequences.