Israeli opposition politician Avigdor Lieberman will join the newly created war Cabinet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party said on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu had agreed with leading opposition figure Benny Gantz, a centrist, on the establishment of the emergency unity government following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel.
Lieberman has served in a slew of ministerial posts over the past two decades, including minister of defence and foreign affairs, and has long been viewed as one of Israel’s most hawkish political figures.
Politicians from across the spectrum have put their support behind the emergency government, saying it is necessary to be unified as Israel faces one the worst crises in its history.
Observers say a broad coalition is needed to push through far-reaching military and political decisions in the coming days.
A week ago, Hamas militants carried out a massacre of Israeli civilians in border towns and at a music festival.
The number of dead stands at more than 1,300, according to army figures.
In response, the Israeli army began hammering the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. More than 2,200 people have been killed so far and a ground offensive by the Israeli military is seen as imminent.