Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not lying and or exaggerating when he told the nation on Nov. 18 that Israel was facing one of its most complex defense challenges. He was right in telling his coalition partners, “We are in an intensifying battle” and berating them for being irresponsible by threatening to quit the government at such a time. He urged them to set aside personal and political considerations.

Israel is indeed facing a security challenge that requires its elected officials to act responsibly and to set aside personal and political considerations. But the solution requires a change in leadership.

The complex security challenge is not lurking on Israel’s northern border. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Oct. 18 that Russia cannot force Tehran to pull its forces out of Syria, and Netanyahu himself explained on Nov. 19 to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Russia would be unable to stop Iran’s military activity on Syrian soil by itself. Both leaders hinted that the key to removing Iranian forces from Syria is in US hands, but President Donald Trump has not shown any inclination to sink into this quagmire, not even for his good friend in Jerusalem. Therefore, based on the fairly certain assumption that Netanyahu does not wish to clash with Russia, the ill winds are unlikely to blow from the direction of Syria nor from Lebanon.

On Nov. 20, Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot said during a tour of the Syrian border that Iran had been far less successful than it had hoped in transferring precision weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces, he added, “will continue acting to thwart these efforts while preserving the security situation in the north for the long term out of dedication to the protection of the citizens of the State of Israel.”