Yoav Gallant is a veteran Israeli politician, currently part of the Likud Party, and is Israel's current defense minister.
He has an extensive background in the IDF and was at one point a top candidate to become chief of staff.
"Firing an experienced defense minister like Gallant in the middle of a war in Gaza and possibly before a war in Lebanon would be a crazy move," a US official said.
Gallant did not take explicit credit, and Israel has been careful not to take public credit for the exploding beepers on Tuesday or the exploding devices on Wednesday.
“We would urge Iran not to take advantage of any incident, any instability… to further increase tensions in the region,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington.
Rigging pagers so that they explode in the hands of hundreds of Hezbollah fighters and operatives simultaneously from Beirut to Damascus is obviously something not done overnight.
MK Gadi Eisenkot criticized Gideon Sa'ar's potential appointment as defense minister, calling it unqualified and risky for Israeli security.
Israel's Business Forum urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to stop replacing Defense Minister Gallant, warning of increased division during wartime.
Replacing Defense Minister Gallant with MK Sa'ar strengthens Netanyahu's position and benefits the haredi parties, but faces protest challenges.
Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized Israel's right to act militarily against Hezbollah if diplomatic efforts fail to ensure security.
Thousands of Israelis are also protesting the replacement.
Netanyahu's potential cabinet changes spark debate, overshadowing calls for a national unity government amid rising tensions in Israel.
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