Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has succeeded where countless previous Israeli leaders have failed. He has convinced the United States to join Israel in launching strikes against its regional foe Iran.
So far, the attacks have killed more than 1,400 people in Iran. Another 1,000 have died in Israeli strikes on Lebanon and other countries in the region.
Oil prices, a critical factor in the global economy, have hit new highs, further raising the prospect of shortages and potential rationing. In the US, Democratic lawmakers, as well as some prominent supporters of President Donald Trump, such as journalist Tucker Carlson and podcast host Joe Rogan, have railed against war with Iran.
But little of that may matter to Netanyahu compared to the successes he will see in the conflict. Here's a look at how war with Iran could solve some of the problems Netanyahu has faced for years.
The Iran Threat
Netanyahu has long warned of the threat Iran poses to Israel and the world at large. He is known for carrying signs with him to the United Nations to show that Iran is close to acquiring nuclear weapons and the dangers that would lead to that.
Israel has long felt incapable of emerging victorious from any conflict waged against Iran without U.S. support. And yet that support never came until Trump came along. Last year, Trump agreed to join Israel’s war against Iran in June, but quickly took action to end the conflict after Iranian nuclear facilities were struck. This time, however, the American president was involved in the conflict from the beginning.
The end of the conflict is unknown, but Netanyahu will feel some success by finally convincing the U.S. to join Israel in going to war against Iran and creating the image of the two countries as direct partners in the conflict. And even if the war does not lead to the fall of the Iranian government, the Islamic Republic is weakened and may pose less of a threat to Israel in the long term.
Combined with the depletion of the regional "Axis of Resistance" Iran, including heavy attacks on the Lebanese group Hezbollah and the fall of the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, Netanyahu can claim that Israel has no one to fear in the region and is the undisputed hegemon.
Corruption cases against Netanyahu
Netanyahu is currently on trial on three corruption charges dating back to 2019. Accusations that he manipulated events to delay and postpone criminal proceedings against him extend throughout his war on Gaza, with delays and interruptions of the trial often tied to events in the conflict, and Netanyahu using them as an excuse to avoid attending hearings.
Earlier this month, Netanyahu echoed President Donald Trump's previous call for Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon the prime minister, which would allow him to avoid trials and a potential 10-year sentence, that he faces if convicted. Netanyahu has not strayed from the subject, even with the war raging against Iran. In his first press conference since the start of the war, a full 12 days after the conflict began, he called the legal proceedings against him an "absurd circus" and said that Herzog should do the "right" and end the case, which would allow him to devote his full attention to the war and regional diplomacy.
Earlier that week, Israel's Justice Ministry said it would be inappropriate to grant a pardon while Netanyahu's trial is ongoing.
Obstacles to judicial reform
The efforts of Netanyahu and his right-wing allies to reform the judiciary, essentially removing it as a check on the government, have been roundly rejected by the prime minister's opponents for years. The issue dominated the first few months after Netanyahu's election victory in late 2022, with tens of thousands of Israelis taking to the streets to denounce what they described as a "coup." But that protest movement waned after the October 7 attack and the subsequent Gaza war.
But Netanyahu has not abandoned the issue, and has instead been accused of using the war on Iran as a cover to push through controversial legislation. In mid-March, Netanyahu's coalition began trying to push through parliament legislation that would strip the attorney general's powers, weakening the position's authority as well as giving the government greater control over the country's media. The proposed legislation would also create a politically appointed commission to investigate the government's failures in preparing for the October 7 attack.
In response to the government's move, opposition leader Yair Lapid, who has made great efforts to support the war on Iran and has been vocal in his support for the genocide in Gaza, nevertheless accused parliament speaker Amir Ohana and "all the extremists" in the coalition of not caring that Israel is at war. "While the whole country is united, the coalition is promoting its extremist agenda and stealing money for political purposes," he said.
Criticism of its treatment of the Palestinians
Israeli violence against Palestinians has intensified in the occupied West Bank, while in Gaza, Israel has imposed additional restrictions on those still trapped in the enclave since the start of the war with Iran. On March 11, both the European Union and the United Kingdom demanded that the Israeli government take action to stop the violence in the occupied West Bank, which had by then killed six Palestinians since Israel attacked Iran.
But violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, including by Israeli soldiers, has continued, with the death toll now at 11 since the start of the war. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, 2023.
In Gaza, already devastated by two years of near-total war, the situation remains desperate. The United Nations has again called on Israel to ease wartime restrictions and allow aid into the enclave. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini warned that disproportionate actions by Israeli forces, carried out with complete impunity, are becoming normalized. However, with all eyes on Iran, there is little pressure on Israel to fulfill commitments made as part of the October ceasefire agreement to allow large amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Netanyahu’s Fear of Elections
Haunted by scandals and blamed by much of the Israeli public for his and his government’s failures before the October 7 attack, Netanyahu is at risk of losing the elections scheduled for later this year, and the consequences that could have for his legal woes.
According to a poll conducted by the Hebrew newspaper "Maariv" shortly before the Iran war began, Netanyahu was virtually tied with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Netanyahu still has a lot of work ahead of him. According to a more recent poll with the same title, however, confidence in Netanyahu's ability to lead the war has increased from an already impressive 60 percent at the start of the war to 62 percent.
Moreover, with broad public support for a war in which many in Israel credit Netanyahu with convincing the U.S. to get involved, both government ministers and analysts have even suggested that Netanyahu might call early elections in the middle of the year in the hope that the boost from being perceived as a strong leader during the war will push him over the edge.