In a report broadcast by Channel 13, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak strongly criticized the way the war was managed, considering that what happened since its beginning was based on a “big illusion,” and stressing that “there is no possibility of eliminating Hezbollah once and for all.”
Barak pointed out that Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir presented the Cabinet with realistic data that included “ten red lines” that could cause the army to collapse from within, criticizing what he described as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s silence and lack of support for these warnings.
Barak added, during the dialogue, that the “cabinet” discusses issues not related to the war, and described the government’s performance as negligent due to ignoring the crises of reserve soldiers, residents of the north, and commercial interests, despite allocating billions of shekels without specific goals.
He explained that there is no immediate solution to the problem of the shortage of fighters, pointing out that the recruitment of “Haredim” will not achieve results for at least a year, and that the government did not prepare adequately in advance, including fortifying the northern regions.
He believed that the government “plants illusions to the public about the war,” and does not reveal the facts to public opinion, which leads to repeated errors in assessing the situation, especially with regard to Iran.
Barak continued: “The military level is carrying out operations, but the political level has failed to achieve any results,” stressing that “everyone is still in their places: Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran.”
He also stressed that eliminating Hezbollah militarily is not possible, and that the only solution lies in reaching a political settlement, ruling out at the same time the possibility of overthrowing the Iranian regime or achieving a decisive victory through military escalation.
At the end of the interview, Barak concluded that the government is not seeking to end the war, not only because it is unable to do so, but because it does not want to, to avoid opening the file of responsibilities for the events of October 7. He called for not trusting Netanyahu’s decisions without examining them and holding him accountable.
Barak’s statements come in light of the continuing war on multiple fronts, increasing internal criticism of the Israeli government’s performance, and escalating controversy over the war’s goals and results, especially with continued tension in the north and the expansion of the scope of the regional confrontation.
Observers believe that Barak’s views reflect the existence of disagreements within the political and security establishment in Israel regarding the feasibility of continuing the war, and the possibility of achieving a military solution, in light of the increasing economic and social pressures within Israel.
