A majority of Israelis believe Iran emerged stronger from the recent conflict, according to a new survey that also points to declining public confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and widespread dissatisfaction with the country’s military performance.
The poll, conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in cooperation with the Agam Institute and cited by The Times of Israel on Sunday, surveyed 3,644 respondents between June 17 and 20. It found that 92.1% of Israelis believe Iran either won or gained greater advantage from the six-week war that ended in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington.
The findings suggest a significant erosion of public trust in the government’s handling of the conflict, including among supporters of Netanyahu’s right-wing political bloc. According to the survey, 82.9% of respondents said the military campaign against Iran weakened Israel’s long-term security, while 93.1% of right-wing voters shared the view that Iran came out ahead.
Overall, 86% of respondents expressed negative views about both the outcome of the war and the U.S.-Iran agreement, which was reached without Israeli participation. A separate 87.8% said Israel either failed to achieve its military objectives or succeeded only partially.
Israeli and U.S. officials had described the goals of the operation as dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, reducing its missile threat and weakening the Iranian government.
The survey also indicates growing disillusionment with Netanyahu’s leadership. About 72.5% of respondents said they do not believe the prime minister’s claims that Israel achieved major gains or eliminated existential threats. Meanwhile, 56.4% rated his wartime leadership as “poor” or “very poor,” while only 26.5% described it as “good” or “very good.” Another 17.1% rated his performance as “fair.”
Netanyahu’s approval rating has also declined, dropping from 40.5% in early March to 29.4% in June, according to the survey.
The agreement between Washington and Tehran was also broadly rejected by Israeli respondents. A separate CNA report cited in the poll findings showed 63.2% opposed the deal, compared with 12.1% in favor.
U.S. President Donald Trump also received negative assessments, with 69.1% of respondents rating his handling of the war and its aftermath as “poor” or “very poor,” while only 10.8% gave positive evaluations.
Nearly half of respondents, 48.2%, supported the idea of Israel launching another major operation against Hezbollah, including strikes in Beirut, even if such action could strain relations with Washington. About 20.9% opposed the idea, while 30.9% were undecided.
The survey further found that only 12.2% of Israelis believe the country has achieved most of its long-stated war objectives against Hamas and Hezbollah, including the dismantling of Hamas governance in Gaza, the release of hostages and the removal of Hezbollah’s military threat in Lebanon. In contrast, 61.3% said Israel achieved none of its objectives, while 26.5% said only some were met.
The poll was conducted among Israelis aged 17 and older using a sample weighted to represent the national population. Researchers reported a maximum margin of error of 2.2 percentage points with a 99% confidence level.
