Government ministers lashed out at IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi at a security cabinet meeting on Sunday, in what military officials described as a “coordinated ambush,” planned in advance of the meeting by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Hebrew media reports.
The meeting concerned, among other issues, the question of how Israel should respond to Saturday’s drone attack against Netanyahu’s residence in Caesarea, which the prime minister’s office described as an attempted assassination.
Energy Minister Eli Cohen, addressing the drone attack, said Sunday, “This was a crazy event. In no war has there been an attempt to assassinate the prime minister.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claimed the drone attack had “mega-strategic” significance.
The unmanned vehicle, launched from Lebanon by the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, targeted the prime minister’s home when he was not present, in what Netanyahu declared that evening was a “bitter mistake” by “agents of Iran.”
No injuries were sustained, although foreign reports said the residence was lightly hit. The IDF said the drone was one of three launched from Lebanon, and that the other two were shot down.
When Netanyahu solicited thoughts on how Israel should respond to the attack, Transportation Minister Miri Regev reportedly declared, “We have to attack Iran directly,” while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reportedly called to “take down major figures in the region.”
Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter and Justice Minister Yariv Levin reportedly called for an attack on “state symbols of Lebanon, in Lebanon.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reportedly quipped to his colleagues, “I would recommend we eliminate [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah and the Hezbollah chain of command — but we already did that.”
Gallant was the only minister present who was not at the pre-meeting discussion with Netanyahu, in which members of the government decided in advance to levy criticism at the IDF chief of staff, according to Hebrew media reports.
On Sunday, Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem reportedly suggested that as a response to the drone attack, “It’s possible to destroy part of Dahiyeh” — the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs where Nasrallah was killed — “each time they attempt something like this.”
Halevi, defending the IDF’s management of the issue thus far, reportedly told the ministers, “We’ve managed to thwart many drones, we’ve strengthened our abilities, and we continue to learn and improve. There was a response. Overnight we hit important targets in Beirut, in the heart of Dahiyeh.”
Responding to Amsalem’s suggestion, Halevi noted: “A target requires just cause — we don’t destroy buildings for no reason.”
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara reportedly added, “Destroying property without justification is a war crime,” to which Amsalem responded, “And suppose we run out of targets, and they continue to launch hundreds of rockets and missiles every day — we’ll give them a big hug?”
Members of the government have frequently assailed military and security leaders in the year since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, accusing them of failing in their duty to thwart the terror group. Netanyahu has not publicly accepted direct personal responsibility for October 7 and has blocked the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the catastrophe.
During the meeting, the ministers also accused Halevi of failing to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza, Hebrew media reports said.
The issue of aid has been a thorn in the side of US-Israel relations since the start of the war, which began when the Hamas terror group attacked Israel last year, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
The issue has re-emerged in recent weeks amid a threat by the US to withdraw its military help.
“I don’t have surplus manpower for those missions,” Halevi reportedly said to the ministers. “You want our soldiers to get injured distributing sacks of flour in [central Gaza’s] Nuseirat? I need every soldier for combat in Gaza and in Lebanon — international organizations will do this.”
The meeting also included a discussion of a proposed limited hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas, under which a small number of Israeli captives would go free in exchange for a two-week truce.
Israel is pursuing the limited proposal alongside efforts to reach a broader deal to end the fighting in Gaza and Lebanon in exchange for the release of all Israeli hostages, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel this week.
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar visited Egypt on Sunday to discuss the possibility of a deal, and updated the cabinet on his trip. Ministers remain pessimistic about the chances of an agreement, however, according to Hebrew reports.
The cabinet also addressed issues related to UNRWA, the United Nations agency responsible for aid to the Palestinians, which has been linked to Hamas operatives and which Israel alleges bears complicity in some of the terror group’s actions — just last week, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed with the passport of an UNRWA school teacher in his possession.
Though the ministers are in agreement about the problems with the UN body, Foreign Ministry representatives cautioned that efforts to target the agency via legislation could have serious diplomatic fallout, reports said.
In July, the Knesset approved the first reading of a trio of bills aimed at shutting down the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants.
Not only does Israel face pressure from the United States to cooperate with UNRWA, but obstructing the organization could violate the UN charter, the representatives warned, which could even lead to Israel’s expulsion from the UN.
The ministers on Sunday delayed a discussion into demands to allow the International Red Cross to visit suspected Hamas terrorists captured during the October 7, 2023 attack, Hebrew media reported.
Lazar Berman contributed to this report.