Netanyahu Details Immediate War Response After October 7 Attacks and Warns Against F-35 Sale to Turkey

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared his account of the October 7 attacks in an interview with Ben Ben Baruch’s podcast, a day after the political investigation committee was advanced. Netanyahu said he immediately recognized the situation as a war and requested the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops. He described receiving a call from his military secretary and quickly deciding to close the Gaza border to prevent kidnappings. Upon arriving at the Kirya military headquarters, he declared, “We are at war,” and pushed for a large-scale recruitment, though initially only 80,000 to 100,000 soldiers were approved.

This contrasts with statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from an October interview with ynet, where he recalled initial hesitation among leadership about sending all forces south, fearing the attack might be a Hamas deception to lure troops away from the north, where Hezbollah could strike. Smotrich said the full deployment south only occurred after confirming the attack was not coordinated.

Netanyahu also reflected on the broader regional conflict, noting that Hezbollah joined the fight the day after October 7, and he viewed the battle as against Iranian proxies and Iran itself. He emphasized a strategy of focusing on one front at a time, advocating active defense against Hezbollah without invasion, and prioritizing the fight against Hamas first.

In a lighter moment, Netanyahu recalled enduring traffic jams during his military service in the Golan Heights area, comparing them to current traffic issues he plans to address.

Separately, Netanyahu spoke to CNN about his efforts to block the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, warning that such a sale would destabilize the Middle East. He criticized Turkey’s aggressive ambitions and described the regime as radical, despite its friendly gestures toward U.S. President Donald Trump. Netanyahu said he has repeatedly expressed these concerns to Trump and stressed that personal relations between the two leaders do not make Turkey a U.S. ally.

The podcast episode with Netanyahu is scheduled to air on Ben Ben Baruch’s YouTube channel at 22:30.