Alwaght- Although about 16 months have gone since Hamas’s Operation Al-Aqsa Storm of October 7, 2023 against Israel, the security aftershocks of this historic operation keep taking their tolls on Israel and the recent domino resignations of senior army officials are an indication of official acceptance of in war against resistance groups.
In this connection, Israeli media on Tuesday reported that the Israeli army General chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said he plans to step down from his post on March 6. Halivi intends to resign as he is considered the top victim of the Israeli defeat in the battle against the resistance factions and Gaza people. He had said that he shoulders the responsibility for army setback on October 7.
Halevi claimed that the Israeli army fought on seven fronts for long months and made achievements that changed the face of the region. The military chief described the defeat against the resistance in Operation A-Aqsa Storm as "horrific." He admitted that "we suffered heavy losses and casualties, and a large number of our soldiers were wounded."
The wave of resignations was not limited to Halevi. In the weeks and months following Hamas operation, several senior Israeli military officials resigned, making the Israeli regime to name replacements. It seems likely that this wave of resignations will continue.
At the same time as Halevi, Yaron Finkelman, commander of the Israeli Southern Command, also announced his resignation from the post. According to Israeli media, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar will probably announce his resignation in the coming days.
The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper acknowledged that Halevi's resignation from his post will have a pyramid effect from the highest military position in the regime's army to the lowest. The newspaper added that Major General Nimrod Aloni, the head of the officer academies who served as the commander of the Gaza Division in recent years, is also said to be resigning. The name of Eliezer Toledano, head of the Strategy and Iran Directorate in the army, has also been mentioned to be resigning. In addition, the results of the ongoing investigations into the Israeli army will cause dozens of officers of the regime to be dismissed or forced into early retirement.
The resignation of Halevi and other army officials has other dimensions, the most prominent of which is the confirmation of the failure of the Tel Aviv military and political system since October 7, something that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to conceal and show that he has been able to make feats against the Palestinians. The wave of resignations also reflects the breakdown of trust between the political and military leadership, who have accused each other of being powerless against Hamas operations since the start of the Gaza war.
With human casualties and costs of Gaza war being high, some analysts predict the wave of resignations that is rattling Israel will also hit economic officials.
Deepening political gap in the occupied territories
Resignation of the highest figure in the Israeli army will undoubtedly leave negative security and political impacts on Israel at home. For example, Hamas operation was not limited to the military officials and affected political and some ministers and caused disunity and deep gaps among the officials and public.
This comes as at political levels, immediately after announcing the ceasefire, the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his party members resigned in opposition to the deal with Hamas.
With Ben-Gvir and Halevi's walkout, Netanyahu's government is on the brink of collapse. Furthermore, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened that if after expiration of the ceasefire anti-Gaza campaign is not resumed, he will step down, a warning widening the gaps inside the occupied territories.
On the other hand, with the resignation of Halevi and other military officials who took responsibility for their failure on October 7, internal pressure on Netanyahu to accept responsibility for the defeat against Hamas will also increase.
In this regard, Israel affairs expert Izzam Abu Adas believes that "this situation will also change the shape of Israel and push it towards negative changes and increase the gap between the far-right and the traditional left that led Israel. Therefore, the pressure on Netanyahu to resign in the next stage will mount, and this means that he will need a new conflict - a distraction, as they call it - which will probably be in the West Bank or a renewal of the war in Lebanon through refusing to retreat, or expanding conflict in Syria, or even taking on Iran.
This is while Netanyahu had to appease hardline ministers in the past year to save his cabinet from the risk of collapse and continued the war with Hamas until last week in order to remain in power. Therefore, it is not unlikely that Netanyahu will go to a new adventure in the region after the Gaza ceasefire expires, because he knows that stopping the war in Gaza will mean the end of his political life and that of his favorable cabinet, and they will have to spend the rest of their lives behind bars due to serious corruption cases and defeats against resistance groups.
Gaps in security layers
Intensification of political rifts in Israel will negatively affect the conflict with the resistance groups, and since the army's body is plagued by weakness, end of war will be harder than before.
Halevi's resignation was not only driven by the failure to predict and thwart Hamas’s attack or failure to achieve war aims, but also due to the political motivations of the Netanyahu government, something demonstrating the depth of crisis between the army and the government and showing face as the time goes by.
Israeli analysts estimate that the resignation of many army officers without being replaced amid the escalating conflict between the political leadership and the army will push Israel into a deep crisis.
It is likely that Halevi's resignation, as well as the interference of politicians in the military establishment, whether at the level of appointments or even military programs in the future, will have serious effects on the image of the army, because these appointments are inappropriate and the prime minister or any other political figure wants to put people aligned with the government at the head of the army, and this may lead to disobedience in the army.
Resignation of Halevi and other security commanders may also mark the beginning of a series of changes in the Israeli military establishment, as the army is likely to face increased pressure to review its strategies given the rising security challenges, especially in Gaza and other areas.
Ofer Shelah, a security and military affairs researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said: “Given the increasing interference of the defense minister and prime minister in the affairs of the military establishment, Halevi’s resignation will lead to further resignations among the ranks of senior officers, which will act like a snowball weakening and dismantling the General Staff and the morale of the IDF leadership and pushing it to the sidelines.”
Having in mind that many army forces are uninterested in further war against resistance forces, Netanyahu and his orbit's push for an escalation may lead to disobedience among the army personnel, and since Trump administration does not care much about Palestinian developments and support to Israel, this may put Netanyahu into a tight spot.
Resignation of senior military officials because of Gaza war defeat is a quake that will not rock just the army and will lead to end of Netanyahu's political life as the divisions widen.
