Netanyahu's Promised 'Total Victory' Has Left Israel Facing a Diplomatic Backlash

In this opinion piece, Ben Caspit argues that Benjamin Netanyahu's strategy in the wars against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran produced major military gains but an even larger diplomatic defeat. He says Netanyahu, unlike his earlier years as an opposition leader, is now tied to Donald Trump and has paid for that relationship by involving Trump in his clemency campaign, making Israel a hostage to that political bargain.

Caspit writes that the current arrangement with Iran is not a full agreement, but a U.S. move that effectively trades access through the Strait of Hormuz for releasing frozen funds to Tehran. He says Iran still has no intention of giving up its nuclear program or enriched uranium, noting not only the reported 440 kilograms of enriched uranium but also tons of material at different enrichment levels that could be weaponized quickly with existing Iranian know-how.

He argues that supporters of the government ask critics, "So what do you suggest?" His answer is that Israel should never have reached the disaster of October 7 in the first place, and that after the fact, there is no magical policy fix that can erase responsibility. He says the real mistake was promising "total victory," setting an unrealistic goal and inflaming expectations.

Caspit says Gaza should have been ended sooner and on Israel's own terms, without a "Peace Council," Qatar or Turkey. He says the Lebanon front should have been wrapped up after the previous cease-fire, which he calls excellent for Israel, and that the right approach toward Iran would have been a prolonged naval and air blockade, not endless attrition or regime change fantasies, with realistic goals agreed in advance with Trump.

He concludes that Iran's axis has been damaged but not destroyed: Hezbollah is alive and rebuilding its standing in Lebanon, Hamas is growing stronger every day, and the Iranian regime, though weakened, survived the American strikes and is now less afraid and more determined. "Like in the war on cancer, if you leave metastases, it will come back," he writes, warning that Israel's failure to fully eliminate its enemies will haunt it for years.