Netanyahu dissolves war cabinet as top Biden aide visits Israel to prevent war with Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the war cabinet, which was created on October 11 to manage the campaigns against Hamas and Hezbollah, following the resignation of key member, retired general Benny Gantz.

"The cabinet was in the coalition agreement with Gantz at his request. As soon as Gantz left – there is no need for a cabinet anymore," Netanyahu said, as cited by local media. 

Shortly after Gantz's resignation, another minister without portfolio, former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, also resigned from the cabinet, where he served as one of three observers. Both Gantz and Eisenkot cited Netanyahu's failure to form a strategy for the war in Gaza as their reason for resigning.

The dissolution was anticipated, as far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had been lobbying to be added to the forum. According to Netanyahu, there will not be a new cabinet formed of the coalition party leaders, an idea previously suggested by far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.

Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will hold small ad hoc consultations with other relevant officials to make key decisions on the war, while seeking final approval from the wider security cabinet. According to local media, Ben Gvir will also be excluded from these consultations.

U.S. tries to defuse escalation with Hezbollah

A senior Biden adviser will travel to Israel on Monday for meetings aimed at preventing further escalation between Israel and Lebanon, a White House official said. Amos Hochstein will advance efforts to avoid further conflict along the 'Blue Line' between Israel and Lebanon, according to the official, who wished to remain anonymous.

Hochstein will also meet National Unity party chief and former war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Monday night, and will separately meet with opposition leader Yair Lapid and President Isaac Herzog. This marks Hochstein's fourth visit to Israel since October 7.

Hezbollah began trading fire with Israel on October 8, a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas attacked southern Israel, and says it will cease fire only when the Gaza war stops. Last week it launched the largest volleys of rockets and drones yet in the eight-month conflict. 

On Sunday, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said intensified cross-border fire from Hezbollah into Israel could trigger serious escalation.

"Hezbollah's increasing aggression is bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation - one that could have devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region… Israel has a duty to defend the people of Israel. We will fulfill that duty - at all costs," Hagari said in an English-language video statement.

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Aid pause under fire 

The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, told reporters in Norway on Monday that nothing had changed for his organization's operations, despite the Israeli military declaring a humanitarian pause to allow aid through a pre-determined path into the southern Gaza Strip.

Earlier on Sunday, the IDF stated that "a local, tactical pause of military activity for humanitarian purposes will take place from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. every day until further notice along the road that leads from the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Salah al-Din Road and then further north."

In a separate follow-up statement, the military clarified that there is no suspension of fighting in the southern Gaza Strip and that fighting in Rafah continues.

Lazzarini is in Norwegian capital Oslo to meet with officials. Norway announced an additional $9.3 million to the organization, following $25.6 million given to UNRWA this year. Almost all countries that had suspended payments to UNRWA have resumed funding, Lazzarini said.

The U.S., which has not resumed funding, was followed by other countries in halting financial support to the organization after Israel said that a dozen UNRWA members had participated in the October 7 massacre by Gazan militants against Israel. An independent review of UNWRA neutrality found that Israel had not previously raised concerns about staff lists it had received annually since 2011, although Israel's foreign ministry insisted the review "ignores the severity of the problem." 

The IDF's move to secure a tactical pause in fighting for humanitarian aid trucks to enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing was criticized by several in the Israeli government, including Netanyahu.

Israeli arms sales on the rise 

Annual Israeli arms sales reached a new record in 2023 for the third consecutive year, nearly doubling the value of exports compared to five years ago, according to Defense Ministry figures released Monday.

The ministry's International Defense Cooperation Directorate, known as SIBAT, reported that defense exports totaled $13 billion last year, up from $12.5 billion in 2022, which was the previous record high. Between 2018 and 2020, exports ranged from $7.5 billion to $8.5 billion.

Following the outbreak of war on October 7, the Defense Ministry began operating in 'emergency mode,' with defense contractors manufacturing weaponry and equipment for the Israel Defense Forces around the clock, alongside fulfilling previous orders for foreign clients.

The Asia-Pacific region was the largest purchaser of Israeli defense goods, accounting for 48 percent of total exports, followed by Europe at 35 percent. North America accounted for 9 percent, Latin America for 3 percent, and Africa for 1 percent.

The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, which normalized relations with Israel in the 2020 Abraham Accords, accounted for just 3 percent of arms purchases, down from 24 percent in 2022.

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