When, just hours after the first strikes on Iran on Friday, June 13, the success of the opening attack was confirmed, Benjamin Netanyahu was euphoric, according to Israeli columnist Ben Caspit: "Talking about the end of the era of wars after this war ends, about Saudi Arabia, Syria and Lebanon joining the Abraham Accords [the normalization of relations with Israel]. About ending the war in Gaza."

By involving the country in a major conflict with Iran, the prime minister is once again playing a dangerous game, taking a perilous path for both himself and Israel. With the attack on Iran, he has managed to temporarily overshadow the mounting challenges surrounding him. Chief among them are the ongoing war crimes in the Gaza Strip, while more than two-thirds of the Israeli population called for a deal with Hamas to release all hostages. The war in Gaza deepened domestic divisions and Israel's growing isolation on the world stage. The anti-war movement was gaining traction in Israel, while a French-Saudi conference was planned for Tuesday at the United Nations, reinforcing, even without recognition of a Palestinian state, the gradual internationalization of the Palestinian question, which Israel considers a domestic issue.

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