Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid was quoted by The Times of Israel on Saturday as saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is trying to "drag the country into civil war."

During a protest in Tel Aviv, Lapid threatened to launch a general strike if Netanyahu's government did not comply with the Supreme Court's decision to freeze the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

"If the October 7 government decides not to comply with the court's ruling, it will become an outlaw government," Lapid told several thousand demonstrators in Tel Aviv. "If that happens, the entire country must come to a standstill... The economy must be hit, the parliament must be hit, the courts must be hit, the authorities must be hit—not just the universities, but the schools as well."

"We will fight for the homeland, and we will not allow them to destroy it," Lapid said. "They are using the word 'unity' to silence us. This will not work. Silence in the face of a destructive government is not unity."

The Times of Israel reported Saturday that thousands participated in weekly demonstrations in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu's government, a significant increase over previous weeks.

She added that the demonstrators chanted slogans against Netanyahu, waving Israeli and left-wing party flags. Slogans such as "Netanyahu is incompetent" and "Stop the madness of the dictatorship" were displayed on a giant screen.

The increase in crowds came amid Netanyahu's efforts to dismiss Bar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.