From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 15, 2026
Bennett calls US-Iran deal product of government ‘incapable of decisive victory’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett says that the government has failed to translate Israel’s military achievements into lasting security gains in response to the US-Iran deal.
“During the war with Iran, we saw the extraordinary performance of the IDF and security forces on the front lines, and the courage of the Israeli public on the home front. This morning, we learned that the government is once again incapable of turning all of that into lasting security achievements,” says Bennett, who heads the Together alliance with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, and is seen as a leading contender to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in elections that must be held by October 27.
Calling the deal not “a decree of fate” but the product of failed Israeli leadership, Bennett argues that the government has dragged Israel into wars of “stagnation and attrition” and is “incapable of achieving a decisive victory.”
He says that he has “a strategic plan for bringing about the collapse of the Iranian regime” and to dismantle its nuclear program through “a combination of diplomatic, intelligence, economic, technological and military means.”
The Times of Israel Community.