Israeli opposition lawmaker Gideon Saar has joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, the two politicians said on Sunday.
In a video statement, Netanyahu announced that according to their terms, Saar was appointed to his security cabinet, responsible for the key policy decisions in Israel's ongoing war.
State-owned Kan TV reported that Saar, one of Netanyahu's most vocal right-wing politicians and an old rival of Netanyahu, had been in negotiations for a deal in which he will replace Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, also one of Prime Minister Netanyahu's political rivals. The efforts failed last week as Israel has firmed up its attack against Hezbollah, Xinhua news agency said.
That was one of the reasons why Saar's entry into Netanyahu's coalition government was generally interpreted by the local media as a bid to strengthen Netanyahu's hold on power.
The inclusion of Saar in the coalition changes the balance of 64 to 68 votes in the 120-member Israeli parliament and does dilute the de-facto veto power that the far-right parties retain over the cabinet.
It comes as Israel escalates its attacks on Lebanon, Gaza, and throughout the Middle East, in what is increasingly appearing to be a broader regional conflict.
Saar has been one of the most vocal critics of Netanyahu in the past few years, but the Israeli Prime Minister said that the two politicians have been on the same page since the start of the conflict on Gaza.
Since Monday, Israel has carried out its most intense attacks on Lebanon since 2006. On Friday evening, it targeted Hezbollah's main headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Dahieh, killing its top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several other commanders.
Heavy bombardments have opened the final phase of Israel-Hezbollah clashes, which had been ongoing since October 8, 2023, when the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in a display of solidarity with Hamas militants in Gaza, prompting Israeli artillery fire and airstrikes across eastern Lebanon.
Read also| Yemen's Leader Reaffirms Commitment to Peace Initiatives in Meeting with UN Chief
