Reports Say Netanyahu Pressed for Iran Strike Before Israel's Vote; He Denies It
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been reported to have pushed for military action against Iran in the weeks before Israel's election on Tuesday, 27 October. He has denied that he pressured the military to act.
The reports come as Iran has become a central theme of the campaign. Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear mushroom cloud destroying Tel Aviv, and he told voters to choose him or risk nuclear annihilation linked to Iran's nuclear programme. On Sunday, 25 October, he warned that Iran or one of its allies could attack Israel in the coming days, and urged Tehran not to "test" Israel.
Israel's Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu clashed with armed forces chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir over a military directive that could spark an immediate conflict with Iran. Zamir asked that the directive be presented to him in writing. Israel's defence ministry denied any intention to carry out military operations against Iran. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the military, said its decisions were based exclusively on security, professional, objective and national considerations.
CNN reported that Netanyahu tried in recent weeks to convince US President Donald Trump to launch a renewed assault on Iran, citing two US officials. According to the report, Trump did not give a green light to a joint attack before the elections, and signalled that joint US-Israel action could come soon. Trump has ruled out an assault on Iran until after US congressional elections next week. Israel's Prime Minister's Office denied the CNN report.
Earlier, Ynetnews reported that the Israeli military had prepared a multi-day bombing campaign against Iran as part of a larger attack plan that Trump blocked. In an interview with Channel 7, Netanyahu called a report that Trump blocked a planned Israeli attack "biased and untrue." On 14 October, he said he was not in favour of a preemptive strike on Iran before the election. On 26 October, Reuters reported that he had highlighted Trump's endorsement on the eve of the vote and suggested the two could restart the war with Iran.
The election is Israel's first since the October 7 attack. Gadi Eisenkot leads the opposition bloc and is seen as Netanyahu's most likely challenger for prime minister. Most polls suggest the opposition will win more seats in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, than Netanyahu's coalition. Neither side is expected to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority.
