The assessment by US intelligence raises doubts about the possibility of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition staying in power, indicating that despite Israel’s determination to destroy Hamas, it is likely to face armed resistance from the movement for years.
A joint report prepared by 18 agencies on the level of global threat, published on Monday, March 11th, concluded that the Israeli Prime Minister faces significant opposition due to his “hardline policies on Palestinian and security issues.”
According to The New York Times, the annual threat assessment for 2024 by US intelligence agencies expressed concerns about Israel’s vision to end the war on Gaza, stating that Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition “may be in jeopardy.”
The US intelligence report also added that the lack of confidence among the Israeli public in Netanyahu’s ability to govern had already reached high levels before the war, and large protests demanding his resignation and calling for new elections are expected.
Protesters gathered across Israel demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister and the release of prisoners from Gaza, while some opposition politicians called for new elections.
On Saturday, March 10th, demonstrators clashed with police in Tel Aviv in two separate protests demanding that Netanyahu put more effort into ensuring the release of prisoners.
The US intelligence assessment also indicates that “Israel will struggle to achieve its goal of destroying Hamas, but it is likely to face armed resistance from the movement for years to come, and the Israeli army will seek to neutralize the infrastructure of the movement’s tunnels.”
The US intelligence assessment in the annual report concludes that “Israel will face increasing international pressure due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”
It also noted that the war in Gaza “poses a challenge to America’s Arab partners,” who face public opposition to Israel and the United States due to the death and destruction in the region.
The report confirms what many US officials have said in recent months that “Iran did not orchestrate the attacks on October 7th and did not have prior knowledge of them.”
In this context, the report sees that both Iran and Israel are trying to calibrate their actions against each other and avoid direct conflict. However, intelligence agencies believe that Iran will continue to arm and support its proxies, posing a threat to the United States even after the end of the war in Gaza.
