Thousands of Israelis took the streets to protest across the country on Tuesday evening after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The move comes as Israel is braced for a direct Iranian attack and after the IDF under Gallant’s command executed a successful strike on the Islamic Republic that targeted its missile production facilities.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and the minister of defense,” Netanyahu stated.
Netanyahu laid out his rationale for Gallant’s removal while the country was over a year into a war with Iran and its proxies.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested in March 2023 after Netanyahu fired Gallant for opposing the controversial judicial reforms, only to only reinstate the defense minister after protests and threats to shut down the economy.
The largest protests took place in Tel Aviv, with additional sites in Jerusalem, Caesarea, and Haifa. Two individuals were arrested in Haifa, the Israel Police announced.
Eliav Breuer and Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.