Ex-Israeli military spokesman blames Netanyahu for ‘loss of international trust’ during war

A former spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces has sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct of the war against Hamas, in the latest sign of growing tensions between the military and the government.

A former spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces has sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct of the war against Hamas, in the latest sign of growing tensions between the military and the government. Lt Col. Peter Lerner said that while speaking with the world’s media on behalf of the military, he came to realize the “loss of international trust in Israel and the government’s failure to maintain widespread support for the war against Hamas over time.” Lerner served in the IDF for more than 25 years – most recently as a spokesman during the war, before stepping down last month. Lerner was speaking in an extended interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. “Netanyahu promised a complete victory over Hamas,” he said. “But in the international arena he and his government led us to defeat.” Lerner told Haaretz that in the early days of the conflict, following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, “There was a clear understanding that Hamas is an evil and dangerous organization, and that Israel must act against it.” That goodwill quickly eroded, he said, partly because of the inevitable suffering of Palestinian civilians as the IDF began the ground invasion of Gaza. But he also blamed the government, saying “there is no political strategy for the war, even after nine months in which we are fighting on two fronts.”