TEL AVIV—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, at a time when the country continues to fight wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and is increasingly in direct confrontation with Iran.
The move on Tuesday came after months of public disagreement between the two over the course of the war. Netanyahu said he was firing Gallant due to a breakdown in trust and gaps in positions between them.
Gallant has publicly challenged Netanyahu’s failure to decide on a plan for Gaza’s long-term governance and for not prioritizing a deal to release Israeli and other hostages held in Gaza.
“In the past months, trust has been cracked between myself and the defense minister,” Netanyahu said Tuesday in a statement released by his office.
Sacking Gallant could have wide-ranging impacts on Israel’s multifront war and U.S. efforts to end it. He has been the anchor of the relationship with the U.S. and the most vocal advocate of the Biden administration’s efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza.
Tension between the U.S. administration and Netanyahu has grown in recent months over the prime minister’s hardline position in the talks and for a series of provocative military actions undertaken without much notice to the U.S.
Gallant has been a shock absorber in the relationship, speaking more than 70 times with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin by phone and several more times in person over the duration of the war, Pentagon announcements show.
