Netanyahu pushed pre-election Iran strike, officials say

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent several weeks trying to arrange a new strike on Iran ahead of Israel's election, but the military chief opposed him, three senior Israeli defense officials and three other people familiar with the matter told The New York Times. Netanyahu and his defense minister rejected the reports a day before Israelis vote on Tuesday, October 27.timesofisrael.com

A clash over an unspecified directive

The dispute became public late Sunday, October 25. Channel 12 reported an "unprecedented confrontation" between Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir over an order for unspecified military action that defense officials believed could quickly lead to a confrontation with Iran, The Times of Israel reported. According to the broadcaster, Zamir "demanded an in-depth discussion before carrying out the directive he had received, as well as legal guarantees and the signatures of the political echelon," The Straits Times reported. Army Radio carried similar accounts on Monday, citing two senior security officials, and CNN reported that Trump declined to approve a joint strike before the vote, The Times of Israel said.timesofisrael.com+2

The Times reported that Netanyahu more recently pressed for a separate step short of a direct strike, which Zamir feared could provoke Iranian retaliation.nytimes.com

Mossad divided

Israel Hayom reported that Mossad chief Roman Gofman supported the proposed operation, quoting a source who said it "could have led to renewed war with Iran," according to Anadolu Agency. Haaretz reported a rare split between Gofman and senior Mossad officials, some of whom worried that political considerations could be shaping the timing of operations.aa.com.tr+1

Denials and political fallout

Netanyahu told Channel 14 the reports were "nonsense" and said "there was no fight" with Zamir. His office called the CNN report "fake news". Defense Minister Israel Katz called the reports "completely baseless and false." "I state unequivocally that Israel had no intention of initiating an attack on Iran before the elections in Israel, while making clear that if Iran attacks Israel, we will respond with great force," he said.timesofisrael.com+2

The IDF said it "is focused on its missions" and called "any other discourse" misleading and irrelevant. Opposition leader Avigdor Liberman asked the attorney general to open a treason investigation into Netanyahu.timesofisrael.com

Netanyahu has put Iran at the center of his campaign. Over the weekend he posted an AI-generated image of a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv. He also warned that Iran and its proxies might try to disrupt the vote. "Don't test us," he said.straitstimes.com+1