Iranophobia: Netanyahu’s bid to transform fear into political survival

Among those efforts appears to be an attempt to reignite the war with Iran. Netanyahu has reportedly ordered the Israeli military to prepare for war ahead of a potential attack on Iran, in defiance of the opposition’s calls for restraint. The reports follow revelations that Netanyahu had been phoning US President Donald Trump almost daily to press for renewed strikes on Iran.

Israeli media have also reported repeated confrontations between Netanyahu and military chief Eyal Zamir, who has resisted proposals for military action against Iran, warning that they could trigger a wider conflict. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has been tasked with forming a viable government, but that is not a foregone conclusion. Netanyahu has been pushing for a national unity government that would include himself and his Likud party, or waiting for Eisenkot to fail, leading to another election.

“Netanyahu is desperate,” Ahron Bregman, an Israeli political analyst at King’s College London, said.