Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel fighting 'without a compass'

Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel's war's objectives need reassessing, saying that "the war is being conducted without a compass".

Gallant's letter was sent to the Israeli premier shortly before the Israeli attacks on Iran early Saturday morning, Israel's Channel 13 reported on Sunday, with copies sent to Shin Bet director Ronen Bar, Mossad chief David Barnea, Israeli military Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi, and Israeli cabinet ministers.

Israel's war on Gaza is ranked among the 21st century's bloodiest, with at least 43,020 people killed and 101,110 wounded since October 2023.

However, Israel has not managed to achieve its stated war aims of returning Israeli captives or destroying Hamas's military capabilities despite the huge death toll.

"The current situation in which we operate without a valid compass and without updated war goals harms the management of the campaign and the cabinet's decisions," Gallant wrote.

"Significant developments in the war, primarily the exchanges of direct strikes between Israel and Iran, increase the need for a discussion and an update of the war objectives with a comprehensive view of the arenas and the connections between them."

Gallant proposed four updated war objectives for Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and the West Bank in his letter.

The updated goal in the Gaza Strip, he proposed, should be "establishing a reality without a military threat, preventing the enhancement of terror capabilities, securing the return of all hostages, and promoting an alternative to Hamas rule".

In Lebanon, he wrote that the goal should be "creating a security situation that allows residents of the north [of Israel] to return to their homes as soon as possible".

For Iran, it should be "deterrence and keeping Iran out of the war" and for the West Bank "preventing violent outbreaks by thwarting terrorism".

In response, Netanyahu's office described Gallant's letter as "quite puzzling" and follows reports of deep divisions between the two Likud politicians.

"There is one compass, which is the war objectives as determined by the security cabinet. The objectives are constantly being evaluated and were recently expanded," the office responded.

In September, Israel broadened its declared war objectives to include "enabling residents to return to the communities from which they were evacuated in northern Israel".

The International Criminal Court (ICC) requested arrest warrants for both Netanyahu and Gallant in May for alleged war crimes in Gaza, but these have not so far been issued.

This article is based on an article which appeared in our Arabic edition by Naif Zidane on 28 October 2024. To read the original article click here.