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A majority of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mishandled the war against Iran, according to a poll published Sunday that also found most respondents reject his claims of victory in the conflict.
The survey, conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem between June 17 and 20 among 3,644 participants and published by The Times of Israel, found that 56.4% of respondents described Netanyahu's conduct of the war as a "failure" or "poor," compared with 26.5% who rated it positively.
Israel and the United States launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28. A temporary ceasefire was announced on April 8, and Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday aimed at ending the conflict.
Despite Netanyahu's repeated assertions that Israel "achieved significant gains" and eliminated an "existential threat," 72.5% of those surveyed said they did not believe these claims, the poll found. An overwhelming 92.1% said they believe Iran "has won" the war, while 82.9% said the conflict had "weakened Israel's long-term security."
The survey also found that 87.8% of respondents believe Israel either failed to meet the objectives behind the offensive or achieved only some of them.
The poll pointed to a political toll for the prime minister. Support for Netanyahu as Israel's preferred choice for the premiership fell to 29.4% in June, down from 40.5% in March.
Despite the broadly critical assessment of the Iran campaign, the survey suggested continued appetite among Israelis for confronting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Asked whether Israel should renew major military action against the Iran-backed group, 48.2% said yes, "even at the risk of a clash with Trump," while 20.9% were opposed and the remainder did not express a view.
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