Despite his self-anointed nickname, Benjamin Netanyahu has never substantiated his claim to be “Mr. Security” beyond his own books and speeches. He built a house of cards that came crashing down on October 7, 2023—and has continued to crumble every day since.

The military response that followed—the near-total destruction of Gaza and massive bombings in Lebanon—served not one purpose, but three. First, October 7 was not only a shock to Israel but a seismic jolt to the entire Middle East. It exposed the perceived Israeli superpower as vulnerable, not to a standing army, but to a non-state terrorist group. Israel needed to display overwhelming military force to reestablish its deterrent credibility. Second, it needed to demonstrate to Hezbollah what would befall Lebanon should they join the fray—which they eventually did. Third, and most cynically, the war served Netanyahu’s personal political survival: it allowed him to rewrite the narrative, shifting from the prime minister who abandoned the southern border and enabled the attack to the wartime leader “taking control back.”

Yet after more than 1,000 days of continuous warfare, we have seen the real Benjamin Netanyahu: nothing more than a paper tiger. Hamas still governs Gaza, the IDF remains bogged down in active combat, and Israeli forces are still vulnerable to attacks. In the north, the home front has become a war front, with daily rocket and drone barrages. And on the Iranian front—a war Netanyahu instigated—Israel is in a markedly worse strategic position than before the conflict began.

Where is the “total victory” Netanyahu repeatedly promised? It has not materialized—not even a partial one. What we have witnessed instead is total failure.

Equally damaging has been Netanyahu’s handling of Israel’s most vital alliance. He has repeatedly........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)