Netanyahu escalates, buoyed by strong backing at home

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be on a roll.

Over the past week, Israel has pummeled Hezbollah targets across Lebanon – killing more than a thousand people in the process – assassinated the group’s leader, blown up a Houthi port in Yemen, and launched Israel’s first ground invasion of its northern neighbor since 2006. All of this as Israeli forces continue to pound the Gaza Strip.

Now, the Israeli leader is threatening to make Iran “pay a price” for its ballistic missile barrage of Tuesday night.

One reason why Netanyahu is so emboldened? This stuff is popular with his people. A new poll by the Israel Democracy Institute shows 80% of Israelis, and 90% of Israeli Jews, support the campaign to cripple longtime nemesis Hezbollah and reestablish security in northern Israel, where the militant group’s rocket fire has displaced roughly 60,000 Israelis.

A separate study conducted by Direct Polls shows support for Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud Party jumped after the recent pager attacks against Hezbollah, reaching pre-Oct. 7, 2023, levels for the first time.

This is a big turnaround. Even before the Hamas attacks last October, Netanyahu was on the ropes over corruption charges and his controversial judicial reforms, which sparked months of protests. Then, his support cratered as he was blamed for Israel’s worst-ever security failure, and because of divisions over whether to prioritize freeing the hostages or “destroying” Hamas.

But the ever-wily Netanyahu has now pivoted from divisive issues to unifying ones, tapping into a sense of siege and cohesion among Israeli Jews that transcends other political differences.

This is heady stuff, but how far is Netanyahu willing to escalate in a region that is already on the brink of a wider war?