The Security Challenges Facing the Next Israeli Leader
Foreign Policy · Daniel Byman ·
Netanyahu’s wars have weakened foes, but they’re unsustainable.
Netanyahu’s wars have weakened foes, but they’re unsustainable.
Israel’s election results remain unclear, but whether current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again emerges triumphant or a new government, perhaps led by Gadi Eisenkot, takes power, the country is at a crossroads. Although Israel has demonstrated its military power throughout the Middle East, it is trapped in endless conflict on multiple fronts, overstretched at home, and damaging its long-term relationship with the United States.
In the three years since Oct. 7, 2023, when a Hamas terrorist attack killed almost 1,200 Israelis, Israel’s regional military power has reached new heights. Not only did Israel smash Hamas after the attack, but it also took on the far more formidable Hezbollah, severely weakening its leadership, arsenal, and fighting forces in a continuing campaign. In 2025 and then again in 2026, Israel (along with the United States) attacked Iran, killing much of its senior leadership and setting back its nuclear program and military. In addition to striking its enemies, Israel now occupies around 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, large parts of Lebanon, and several miles along its border with Syria, using these buffer zones to guard against another Oct. 7-like attack and make it more difficult for terrorist groups to use drones, rockets, and other short-distance systems to strike Israel.
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