Eisenkot warns PM against military action during transition, defense minister rejects demand

After receiving the mandate to form a government, Gadi Eisenkot demands Netanyahu refrain from launching any major military operations, drawing sharp criticism from Defense Minister Israel Katz.

By World Israel News Staff

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week against launching major military operations during the transition to a new government, prompting Defense Minister Israel Katz to declare Thursday that Israel’s security establishment does not require permission from the opposition to act.

The dispute comes amid reports of disagreements between Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir over the possibility of renewed Israeli military action against Iran, as Eisenkot attempts to assemble a governing coalition following last month’s Knesset elections.

In a letter sent Wednesday, Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff who received the mandate to form Israel’s next government earlier this week, urged Netanyahu to exercise restraint and avoid potentially dangerous military initiatives that could be postponed until a new government takes office.

Eisenkot argued that Netanyahu now heads a caretaker government that no longer enjoys the confidence of the Knesset, claiming that just 46 lawmakers support his continued tenure as prime minister.

He accused Netanyahu of risking the politicization of national security decisions and warned that military action undertaken without an immediate security necessity could undermine public confidence in state institutions.

“The deployment of security forces without a direct and immediate threat that cannot be postponed could have devastating consequences for Israeli democracy and public trust in government institutions,” Eisenkot wrote.

He also warned that unilateral decisions could place senior defense officials in a difficult constitutional position, potentially forcing them to choose between competing legal and political obligations.

Eisenkot urged Netanyahu to avoid decisions that could wait until the formation of a government enjoying parliamentary confidence, warning him not to violate the public’s trust in the decision-making process.

The letter followed a Channel 12 report suggesting renewed tensions between Netanyahu and Zamir over a possible operation against Iran. The report described disagreements over the timing and necessity of further military action.

Netanyahu’s office rejected Eisenkot’s allegations Wednesday, describing his intervention as an attempt to politicize national security.

The Prime Minister’s Office called the letter a “transparent attempt to inject politicization into issues of Israel’s national security,” maintaining that military decisions were being made on professional security grounds and in coordination with defense officials.

Katz issued a more forceful response Thursday morning, rejecting the suggestion that the government’s military authority should be curtailed during the post-election transition.

“We do not need approval from the opposition or any legal authority,” Katz declared, before listing ongoing Israeli military operations across several fronts.

The defense minister said the government would continue ordering targeted strikes against terrorists in Gaza, conducting offensive and defensive operations in Lebanon, maintaining the security zone in southern Syria to protect communities in the Golan Heights, and counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria.

He also defended the recent operation to clear a terrorist neighborhood in Hebron, saying it had produced a powerful deterrent effect.

Addressing the possibility of military action against Iran, Katz said Israel had already demonstrated determination and sound judgment in its confrontations with Tehran, emphasizing that decisions had been made in coordination with the IDF.

“Israel’s security is not in transition,” Katz said, insisting that political developments would not prevent the government from carrying out its security responsibilities.

He stressed that Netanyahu remained prime minister and that the outgoing government retained responsibility for protecting Israeli citizens, subject to existing oversight mechanisms.

The confrontation also extended to parliamentary oversight of military decisions.

Eisenkot separately appealed to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, asking her to examine the caretaker government’s authority to make major security decisions and requesting regular briefings on developments affecting national security.

The former military chief subsequently questioned why his request for an operational briefing had initially been rejected and accused Netanyahu of seeking to delay a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee until the following week.

“I will not allow a vacuum in oversight of a government that has lost the confidence of the Knesset,” Eisenkot wrote on X.

Arrangements were subsequently made for Eisenkot to receive a security briefing from Netanyahu’s military secretary on Thursday.

Avigdor Liberman, who was chosen to chair the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, also weighed in, warning that a caretaker government should not make decisions capable of dragging Israel into war without parliamentary oversight and the agreement of the country’s security leadership.

While Eisenkot has received the backing of 67 Knesset members for the premiership, significant differences between the parties supporting his candidacy have complicated efforts to establish a governing coalition.

Until a new government is sworn in, Netanyahu and Katz retain responsibility for overseeing Israel’s defense establishment, setting the stage for further confrontations over the limits of caretaker-government authority and parliamentary scrutiny of military operations.

Benjamin NetanyahuGadi EisenkotIsrael Katz