JERUSALEM: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday an “emergency government” with an opposition party leader, Benny Gantz, for the duration of the war with Gaza militants.
“Following a meeting ... held today, the two agreed on establishing an emergency government and war cabinet,” said a joint statement by the premier and Gantz, a former defense minister and army chief.
The three-member “war cabinet” would include Netanyahu, Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Gadi Eisenkot, also a former army chief from Gantz’s party, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will serve as observers, according to the statement.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid has not joined his former ally Gantz, but the statement said a seat would be “reserved” for him in the war cabinet.
Netanyahu’s extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies would remain in government.
The premier has agreed to freeze the hard-line government’s divisive judicial overhaul, which had triggered mass street protests — the biggest in the country’s history.
“During the war, no bills or government-sponsored motions that are unrelated to the war would be advanced,” the statement said.
Gantz last served in a Netanyahu administration in 2020-2021 under a rotation agreement that was meant to see him take the helm for the second half of the government’s tenure, but early elections had been called before he was to become prime minister.
Israel PM announces wartime ‘emergency government’ with Gantz
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Israel PM announces wartime ‘emergency government’ with Gantz
- “Following a meeting ... held today, the two agreed on establishing an emergency government and war cabinet,” said a joint statement
- The three-member “war cabinet” would include Netanyahu, Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Syrian government foils Daesh plot to attack churches and New Year celebrations
- Bomber kills soldier in Aleppo, detonates explosives injuring 2 others
ALEPPO, DAMASCUS: The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that it had thwarted a Daesh plot to carry out suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations and churches, particularly in Aleppo.
The ministry said in a statement that, as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts and careful monitoring of Daesh cells in cooperation with partner agencies, it had received intelligence indicating plans for suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations in several provinces, particularly Aleppo, with a focus on churches and civilian gathering areas.
The ministry added that it took preemptive measures, including reinforcing security around churches, deploying mobile and fixed patrols, and setting up checkpoints across the city.
During operations at a checkpoint in Aleppo’s Bab Al-Faraj district, security forces intercepted a suspected Daesh member who opened fire. One internal security soldier was killed, and the attacker detonated explosives, injuring two others.
Daesh recently increased its attacks in Syria, and was blamed for an attack last month in Palmyra that killed three Americans.
On Dec. 13, two US soldiers and an American civilian were killed in an attack Washington blamed on a lone Daesh gunman in Palmyra.
In retaliation, American forces struck scores of Daesh targets in Syria.
Syrian authorities have also carried out several operations against Daesh since then, saying on Dec. 25 they had killed a senior leader of the group.
