Yisrael Beiteinu party leader and Knesset member, Avigdor Lieberman said he fears Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could launch a new military operation in the Gaza Strip for electoral purposes following moves to dissolve the Knesset.
Speaking during a visit to Kibbutz Be’eri on Thursday, Lieberman called on Israeli military leaders to ensure that any future military action is carried out solely for what he described as decisive security objectives rather than political considerations.
According to the Israeli news site Walla!, Lieberman said he hoped the current government would be removed through elections, possibly by September.
Lieberman also accused the Israeli government of misleading residents of communities near Gaza, claiming that reconstruction efforts in Gaza are proceeding despite what he described as Hamas’s refusal to disarm.
He further alleged that Hamas continues recruiting and training fighters inside Gaza and warned that the threat posed by explosive drones, which he said is already visible in southern Lebanon, could spread to other parts of Israel.
Lieberman claimed Hamas’s control inside Gaza “has never been tighter” and criticised the continued entry of aid and supplies into the territory with Israeli government approval.
