From the Liveblog of
Monday, April 15, 2024
Netanyahu briefs opposition party heads Liberman, Sa’ar on Iran strike while snubbing bloc’s leader Lapid
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to invite Opposition leader Yair Lapid to a security briefing following Saturday evening’s Iranian missile attack despite sending out invitations to two other heads of opposition parties.
After Iran on Saturday launched a large wave of around 300 attack drones and missiles from its territory toward the Jewish state, Netanyahu invited New Hope chairman Gideon Sa’ar and Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman to update them, news site Walla reports.
Speaking with The Times of Israel, a source in Yesh Atid confirms the report, stating that that “Netanyahu’s office didn’t try to set up a meeting.”
A spokesman for Liberman says that he had been invited but “no date has been set.” A spokesman for Sa’ar says that the former cabinet minister was likewise invited but the meeting had been canceled due to a scheduling issue on Netanyahu’s side.
A spokesman for Netanyahu does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Netanyahu and Lapid spent Monday sniping at each other, with Lapid calling the prime minister “an existential threat” and Netanyahu countering that Lapid “chose to stay abroad this week while Israel was attacked.”
In response, Lapid called for National Unity ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot to help bring down the government during a speech in the Knesset plenum.
