CAIRO: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister Yoav Gallant in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement. “In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu said.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life’s mission.”
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.