Netanyahu meets with Lapid for 1st security briefing, gives ‘full backing’ to Gaza operation

For the first time, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Prime Minister Lapid and his military secretary Avi Gil to receive a security briefing, the Prime Minister’s Office says.

The meeting marks the end of Netanyahu’s year-long boycott of the standard procedure, which is mandated by law, and comes amid an escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip.

“We’re in the midst of fighting. I of course give full backing to the government, to the IDF and the security forces. I also commend the residents of the south for their resilience and urge them to continue to heed the instructions from the Homefront Command. This truly saves lives,” Netanyahu tells reporters at the conclusion of the meeting.

“I received a detailed update [on the IDF operation against Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza]. I listened carefully. I offered some advice based on my own experience… and I think that advice can be very useful for the state of Israel,” he says.

Until today, Netanyahu has refused to comply with the protocol of holding the meetings over the past year, as he regularly railed against the legitimacy of the current coalition government.