yair lapid – The Milli Chronicle https://millichronicle.com Factual Version of a Story Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:24:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://media.millichronicle.com/2018/11/12122950/logo-m-01-150x150.png yair lapid – The Milli Chronicle https://millichronicle.com 32 32 Trump Intervention Sparks Fresh Pressure on Netanyahu https://millichronicle.com/2026/06/68150.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:24:45 +0000 https://millichronicle.com/?p=68150 Tel Aviv:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced mounting criticism from political rivals on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to halt attacks on each other, prompting accusations that Washington was dictating Israeli security policy.

The criticism followed Trump’s statement that Israel would suspend planned strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut as part of a new ceasefire arrangement. Lebanon later confirmed an agreement under which Israel would stop attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs while Hezbollah would halt attacks on Israel.

Opposition figures, including former prime minister Naftali Bennett and centrist leader Yair Lapid, accused Netanyahu of yielding to U.S. pressure. Bennett said the government had “lost control of Israeli sovereignty,” while Lapid argued Israel was acting as if it were under American oversight.

Netanyahu rejected the criticism, saying Israel’s policy remained unchanged and warning that any future Hezbollah attacks would trigger strikes on militant targets in Beirut.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel had refrained from attacking Beirut at Washington’s request but warned that renewed Hezbollah attacks would bring a military response.

The dispute highlights growing political tensions ahead of elections expected by October, with Netanyahu facing pressure from rivals who favor a tougher military approach toward Hezbollah.

]]> Israeli Far-Right Ministers Press for Lebanon Offensive as Border War Intensifies https://millichronicle.com/2026/05/67748.html Mon, 25 May 2026 14:51:12 +0000 https://millichronicle.com/?p=67748 Jerusalem-Two senior far-right ministers in Israel’s governing coalition on Monday called for a major escalation of military operations in Lebanon, including strikes on Beirut, as fighting with Hezbollah continued despite a ceasefire and diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions along the border.


National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume full-scale military operations in Lebanon, arguing that current measures were insufficient to counter Hezbollah attacks.


“It is time for the prime minister to take a firm stand with Donald Trump and tell him that Israel is returning to war in Lebanon,” Ben Gvir wrote on social media, calling for expanded military action and tougher economic measures against Lebanon.


Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also advocated a stronger response, specifically urging strikes on Beirut following Hezbollah drone attacks targeting Israeli troops and positions near the border.


“There is an urgent need to put an end to the threat posed by Hezbollah’s explosive drones,” Smotrich said on Telegram, proposing a significantly more forceful military response against targets in the Lebanese capital
Smotrich added that he had approved a special defense allocation of approximately 2 billion shekels ($692 million) to support the development of counter-drone capabilities for Israel’s security establishment.


The comments from the two ministers came after the Israeli military announced the death of another soldier in southern Lebanon, bringing the number of Israeli military fatalities since the conflict began to 23. One civilian contractor has also been killed, according to Israeli authorities.


The current round of fighting began on March 2 when Hezbollah entered the broader regional conflict following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, according to the report.

Hezbollah subsequently launched rocket attacks into Israel, prompting Israeli retaliatory operations that later expanded into a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.


Israeli forces are currently operating within a self-declared security zone extending roughly 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory along parts of the southern border. At the same time, Israel has continued conducting airstrikes deeper inside Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect on April 17.


Lebanon’s Health Ministry says the conflict has killed at least 3,123 people in the country since March, although official figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.


The growing pressure from coalition hardliners reflects increasing frustration within Israeli political circles over the effectiveness of the ceasefire. Opposition leader Yair Lapid described the truce as ineffective, arguing that continued attacks on northern Israel undermine its credibility.


“Either there is a ceasefire or we respond with disproportionate force to every attack against us,” Lapid told reporters.


The calls for escalation come as Israel and Lebanon continue participating in U.S.-mediated negotiations aimed at reducing hostilities and addressing longstanding security disputes. The two sides are expected to hold a fourth round of talks in early June.


However, prospects for a durable settlement remain uncertain. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has opposed the negotiations and rejected calls to disarm the group, while Hezbollah continues attacks on Israeli military targets in southern Lebanon and across the border.


The ministers’ statements underscore the growing tensions within Israel over how to handle the conflict, as military operations, diplomatic initiatives and domestic political pressures increasingly intersect in one of the region’s most volatile confrontations.

]]> Netanyahu poised for comeback in Israel election, initial projections show https://millichronicle.com/2022/11/netanyahu-poised-for-comeback-in-israel-election-initial-projections-show.html Wed, 02 Nov 2022 07:03:08 +0000 https://www.millichronicle.com/?p=31042

Jerusalem (AFP) – The party of Israel’s veteran ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu was set to come first in Tuesday’s vote, initial projections indicated, but there was no guarantee he could form a government.

The projections showed the hawkish politician, Israel’s longest serving premier, could clinch a narrow majority with the anticipated backing of ultra-Orthodox Jewish and far-right parties.

However, the tally could shift as official results come in, and whoever is tapped to form a government will need support from multiple smaller parties to clinch a 61-seat majority in the 120-seat legislature.

If the first forecasts hold, that would end the short reign of an alliance of eight parties under centrist caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid that managed to oust Netanyahu last year before itself collapsing.

The margins appeared wafer-thin, as expected in the bitterly divided nation holding its fifth election in less than four years, but the early signs were positive for the 73-year-old leader of the right-wing Likud party.

Projections from three Israeli networks put Likud on track for a first place finish, within 30 or 31 seats in the 120-member parliament, the Knesset.

That number, combined with projected tallies for the extreme-right Religious Zionism alliance and the two ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties gave the bloc backing Netanyahu between 61 or 62 seats, the first projections showed.

But those can change, and previous Israeli elections have showed that slight variations as the votes are officially counted can dramatically alter the outlook.

High turnout

Lapid’s Yesh Atid was on track for its expected second place finish, with projections giving it between 22 and 24 seats.

But the anti-Netanyahu bloc as a whole was short of a win, according to the early forecasts from networks.

The head of the Israel Democracy Institute think-tank, Yohanan Plesner, told AFP that “while the exit polls may indicate a trend, it is important to note that there have been discrepancies between these surveys and the actual results in past rounds of elections”.

Tuesday’s vote follows the collapse of a coalition that last year united eight disparate parties and ousted Netanyahu, ending his record run as prime minister — but which ultimately failed to achieve political stability.

Netanyahu is on trial over corruption charges he denies, but the case has not dented support among his unfailingly loyal base.

Amid the grinding political deadlock, concerns about voter fatigue were widespread, but 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) figures showed the highest turnout since 1999.

‘Coalition of extremists’ 

Extreme-right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir will be key to helping Netanyahu return to power with his Religious Zionism bloc on track for an estimated 14 seats, according to the first projections.

Ben-Gvir, who wants Israel to annex the entire West Bank, promised a “full right-wing government” led by Netanyahu, after voting near his settlement home.

Justice Minister Gideon Saar, a former Likud heavyweight who broke with Netanyahu and now leads his own party, warned early Tuesday that Israel risked electing a “coalition of extremists”.

The vote was held against a backdrop of soaring violence across Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.

At least 29 Palestinians and three Israelis were killed across the two territories in October, according to an AFP tally.

While many candidates have cited security as a concern, none have pledged to revive moribund peace talks with the Palestinians.

No change

The soaring cost of living has been a hot issue this election as Israelis, having long endured high prices, are feeling the pinch even more amid global economic turmoil linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lapid was the architect of the last coalition, which for the first time brought an independent Arab party into the fold and included others from the right and left.

The unlikely alliance of the last government was made possible after Mansour Abbas pulled his Raam party from a united slate with other Arab-led parties, paving the way for him to join the coalition.

But Raam’s pioneering support for a coalition was not viewed positively across Arab society, which makes up around 20 percent of Israel’s population.

“He tried, but he didn’t bring anything. No change, no money,” said voter Faris Mansour from the central Arab town of Tirah.

Raam was however projected to re-enter parliament, earning an estimated five seats, according to the first projections.

]]> Bahrain hosts Israeli foreign minister in highest-level visit since normalisation https://millichronicle.com/2021/09/bahrain-hosts-israeli-foreign-minister-in-highest-level-visit-since-normalisation.html Thu, 30 Sep 2021 18:52:06 +0000 https://millichronicle.com/?p=22398 Manama (Reuters) – Bahrain hosted the Israeli foreign minister on Thursday in the highest-level visit since the countries established ties last year, as the kingdom’s Gulf Air launched direct flights to Tel Aviv.

Arriving in Manama on a plane with an olive branch painted on its nose, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and then signed five bilateral cooperation deals.

“His Majesty’s leadership and inspiration have led to true cooperation and our meeting outlined the path forward for our relationship,” Lapid said on Twitter after the palace audience.

Bahrain and Gulf neighbour United Arab Emirates normalised relations with Israel last year in a U.S.-brokered deal known as the Abraham Accords that built on common commercial interests and worries about Iran. Sudan and Morocco followed suit.

“Our opportunities are shared. Our threats are also shared, and they aren’t far from here,” Lapid said in remarks to reporters, according to a transcript issued by his office.

It said that Lapid and his Bahrain counterpart signed deals on cooperation in medicine, healthcare, sports, and on water and environmental conservation. Lapid was also due to inaugurate Israel’s embassy in Manama.

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