Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon; Netanyahu’s northern voter base loosens, and Likud support drops sharply

Mars Finance News reports that on June 4, after the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon took effect, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced strong dissatisfaction among voters in the north. Citing the latest polls, Reuters said support for the Likud party has fallen sharply in the northern region. Large numbers of voters are calling on the government to take tougher military action against Hezbollah and accusing Netanyahu of pushing for a ceasefire hastily under pressure from the United States.

Data shows that Likud’s projected vote share in the north has dropped to 23%, well below 35% in the 2022 general election. The loss of northern votes is about three times the national average, and nearly 70% of respondents do not approve of how the government has handled the Lebanon conflict.

With Israel scheduled to hold an election no later than October, the opposition is stepping up efforts to win over northern ballot boxes. Former IDF Chief of Staff and prime minister candidate Gadi Eisenkot has recently been frequently visiting border areas to rally support, arguing that strikes targeting Hezbollah should continue and criticizing the government for trading a ceasefire for political gains.

Local residents generally believe that Hezbollah’s ongoing rocket and drone attacks have not been eliminated and hope the IDF will continue expanding military operations. Some voters believe Netanyahu has been influenced too much by the Trump administration in terms of security policy.

Although the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon requires Hezbollah to withdraw from southern Lebanon, Netanyahu said that the IDF will continue carrying out military operations in the area in the short term. Analysts believe the reversal in public opinion in the north is increasingly creating political pressure on his ruling coalition.