News24 | Netanyahu support plunges in north Israel as Hezbollah rockets drive revolt

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces plunging support in the electorally vital north, where Hezbollah rocket fire has been heaviest, a new poll has shown, putting pressure on him to take a more hawkish stance as elections loom.

Wednesday night’s ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon – whether it holds or not – may not be what northern voters have in mind.

The May poll by Agam Labs at Israel’s Hebrew University, ‌shared exclusively with Reuters, showed residents in the north abandoning Netanyahu’s Likud more quickly than voters elsewhere and faulting him more harshly over the war in Lebanon.

With Iran demanding an end to Israel’s military campaign as part of any peace deal it agrees with the United States, the poll shows how Netanyahu is increasingly caught between domestic electoral considerations and the diplomatic efforts of his allies in Washington.

The general election due by October could tip Netanyahu’s governing coalition from power, risking his long record as Israel’s arch political survivor.

READ | Israel Minister Itamar Ben Gvir slams Lebanon ceasefire deal as ‘a serious mistake’

While his government is widely seen as the most right-wing in Israeli history, many northern voters want a tougher military stance, unfettered by US pressure to end the conflicts in the Middle East.

For residents of the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, where about half of voters backed Likud in the last election, ⁠ending the threat from Hezbollah and its near-daily rocket and drone attacks is the biggest issue.

Yesterday, the United States brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, based on a clear principle: Hezbollah must stop firing, withdraw from southern Lebanon, and be disarmed.This morning, Hezbollah’s Secretary General publicly condemned the agreement, while Hezbollah… pic.twitter.com/yNFm6A5uob

When sirens start to wail, they have only seconds to seek shelter and voters there told Reuters they want the war against Hezbollah pursued until the group is dismantled.

“All night there are loud explosions,” said Kiryat Shmona resident Moshe Yifrah, 45, adding that he does not believe a ceasefire with Hezbollah would protect his family.

“Who would we make it with? Murderers who want to kill us?” he said.

AFP reported that Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticised the ceasefire deal with Lebanon brokered by Washington, calling it a “serious mistake”.

“The ceasefire with Lebanon is a serious mistake and the pipe dreams of advisers are dragging the prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) to wrong decisions,