GOVERNMENT

Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister

The longest-serving Prime Minister in Israel's history, Benjamin Netanyahu experienced the most momentous year of his career in 2024 — waging a war for Israel's survival on multiple fronts in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas atrocities, facing a fractious coalition and widespread civic opposition at home, and confronting a warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court on trumped-up charges of war crimes. Throughout this time, Netanyahu has insisted that Israel's ultimate target is the Islamist regime in Iran. Speaking to a group of IDF combat officers one year after the Hamas massacre, and just days after Israeli warplanes struck a range of targets in Iran, Netanyahu told them: "The brash words of the leaders of the regime in Iran cannot cover up the fact that Israel has greater freedom of action in Iran today than ever before. We can reach anywhere in Iran as needed." The coming year will see Netanyahu's resolve to defeat the Iranian regime put to the test once more.