As Netanyahu convalesced in his pajamas in the hospital in July 2023, a senior general brought him a troubling intelligence assessment. The report warned that Israel’s enemies, including Hamas, had taken note of the country’s domestic turmoil, set off by Netanyahu’s divisive plan to weaken the judiciary, and were preparing an attack.

The recent American and Israeli military strikes on Iran’s nuclear power sites boosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s flagging domestic standing, at least among his right-wing constituents.