Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed his popular defence minister Yoav Gallant in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza.
But Mr Netanyahu had avoided sacking his rival.
Mr Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Mr Netanyahu said.
“Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
In the early days of the war, Israel’s leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas’s October 7 2023 attack.
But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged.
While Mr Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Mr Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the militant group.
Mr Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life’s mission.”
Mr Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, defence secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Mr Netanyahu to sack Mr Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Mr Netanyahu.
He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Mr Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday’s announcement.
Mr Gallant will be replaced by foreign minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military.
Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.
Mr Netanyahu has a long history of neutralising his rivals.
In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Mr Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy – our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.
