Several hours after appearing on camera to deliver a recorded statement on the ceasefire in the war with Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday night expressed frustration that the achievements of Operation Roaring Lion were not being clearly explained to the public.
During a meeting of the security cabinet, Netanyahu asked IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to better explain the operation’s achievements, according to Ynet. Sources present at the discussion said Netanyahu told Zamir, “We need to simplify complex matters.” Other ministers in attendance joined the call for the military to more clearly present the operation’s accomplishments to the public.
A meeting is expected next week with the participation of the chief of staff, IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin and Defense Minister Israel Katz to improve and organize how the operation’s achievements are presented to the public.
Against the backdrop of these demands, Defrin addressed the operation’s achievements on Wednesday, as he had in the days leading up to the ceasefire. “We launched Operation Roaring Lion to significantly damage the Iranian terror regime and remove existential threats to Israel over time. This is a necessary campaign,” he said.
In a briefing, Defrin added: “We severely damaged all of the regime’s systems and capabilities, eliminated its leadership, struck its command and control systems, eliminated many of its commanders, severely damaged its military industries, its ballistic missile array, economic targets and its nuclear program. The IDF conducted a multi-front campaign and achieved many successes. The IDF met all objectives and even exceeded them.”
Netanyahu, as noted, delivered a recorded statement without taking questions from reporters about 19 hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in the war.
“I want to thank our wonderful people. When you showed resilience and stayed in protected rooms and shelters, together we achieved tremendous accomplishments — our fighters at the front and you on the home front,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister said the move was coordinated with Trump: “The United States did not surprise us. This is a stage on the way to achieving our goals.”
Netanyahu added: “The State of Israel has achieved tremendous accomplishments — achievements that until recently seemed entirely imaginary. Iran is weaker than ever, Israel is stronger than ever. That is the bottom line of the campaign at this point. Had we not launched Rising Lion and Roaring Lion, Iran would already have nuclear weapons and thousands of missiles to destroy Israel and threaten our existence. We have removed this dual existential threat and set the terror regime back years.
“We not only destroyed existing missiles, we destroyed factories that produce missiles. They are not producing new missiles. We severely damaged the nuclear program. We destroyed many nuclear facilities and centrifuges. We destroyed steel plants, petrochemical facilities, weapons manufacturing plants, rail lines used to transport weapons, military infrastructure, the Iranian navy and dozens of aircraft. We severely damaged the regime’s repression apparatus, eliminated thousands of its operatives and proved we can reach them anywhere — they have nowhere to hide. We eliminated senior regime officials.”
The ceasefire decision and Netanyahu’s remarks drew criticism from the opposition.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said: “What happened here is a diplomatic disaster on a scale I do not recall. Netanyahu led us into a strategic collapse. There was a disgraceful combination of arrogance, irresponsibility, negligent staff work and lies sold to the Americans that damaged trust between the countries. A military success turned into a diplomatic disaster.”
Lapid added: “Of all possible outcomes, Netanyahu reached the worst one. Israel entered this war with rare consensus. The public supported it across the board. After six weeks of casualties and people running to shelters, it became clear Netanyahu cannot win any campaign. The prime minister deceived Israeli citizens, selling a strategic plan in a series of theatrical press conferences that did not exist.”
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said: “My friends, the war’s objectives were clear: the complete and permanent dismantling of the nuclear program, regional terrorism and missiles, and the removal of 460 kilograms of enriched uranium from Iran. These goals were not achieved, and I give full backing to the government to achieve them. The campaign will be judged solely on meeting these goals, because failure will leave Israel facing a more vengeful and determined Iran.”
Bennett added: “The reason so many feel disappointment is that the leadership sold us illusions. The government did not tell us the truth. Netanyahu and his ministers repeatedly boasted of total victory over Hamas, decisive defeat of Hezbollah and the defeat of Iran. All these empty promises exploded in our faces. As any child can see, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran are still standing. A government that is dismantling Israel from within cannot defeat the enemy from without.”
Yair Golan, head of the Democrats party, said: “No matter how impressive the IDF’s achievements are — and they are — they will not cover up the government’s disgraceful failure to translate them into security for Israel. Because of the Netanyahu-Smotrich-Deri government, the IDF’s tremendous achievements are being thrown away while Trump ‘cuts a deal’ with the Iranians over Netanyahu’s head.”
Responding to the ynet report, Lapid said Netanyahu “failed to topple the regime, eliminate the nuclear program and eliminate the ballistic missile program. These were the war’s objectives, as he defined them.”
According to Lapid, “The military did an extraordinary job, so why did Netanyahu fail? These are the reasons: He did not recruit Saudi Arabia and the UAE to fight alongside us; he completely failed on the critical front of mobilizing the political and media systems in the United States; he did not propose a regional conference for the day after the war; he did not even try to influence NATO; he misjudged the threat of closing the Strait of Hormuz; he failed on credibility issues with the Americans; he did not prepare Israel’s home front or solve the protection gap; he failed to prevent Pakistan from becoming a mediator and was pushed away from the decision-making table at the decisive moment.”