Netanyahu and Army Chief Reported at Odds Over Iran Action on Eve of Israel Election, as Military Denies a Rift

Israel’s military said on Monday that its decisions on Iran are based only on security considerations, after a report by Israel’s Channel 12 said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir were at odds over an unspecified instruction linked to Iran, one day before Israel’s parliamentary election on Tuesday.

According to Channel 12, which cited anonymous sources, Zamir resisted carrying out the instruction and sought further deliberation and signed documentation on its legal authorization. A military source quoted by Channel 12 said the matter involved an action that could lead to a flare-up with Iran at a sensitive moment and create a possible miscalculation. Other sources cited by the network said military officials were concerned that the political leadership could be trying to use the Iran issue for political benefit. The report gave no details of what the instruction was, and said speculation was that it concerned a fresh attack on Iran.

Denials from Netanyahu, Katz and the military

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that reports of a disagreement between the political leadership and the military on Iran were completely baseless and false. Katz said Israel had no intention of initiating an attack on Iran before the election, while adding that Israel would respond with great force if Iran attacked Israel.

Netanyahu called the allegations nonsense in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, according to The Times of Israel. The military said it was focused on its missions and maintained a high state of alert on all fronts, and that its operational activities and considerations were solely security-related, professional, matter-of-fact and statesmanlike. It said any other discussion was misleading and irrelevant.

An election held under gridlock projections

The report landed as Israel prepared to vote on Tuesday, with pollsters projecting a dead heat between Netanyahu and his closest rival, Gadi Eisenkot, according to ANI. Final projections published on October 23 showed continued gridlock, with neither the current coalition nor the opposition bloc predicted to be able to form a government after the vote.

Opposition politician Avigdor Liberman wrote to Israel’s attorney general demanding a criminal investigation against Netanyahu, saying Netanyahu had been pressuring security chiefs to take steps that could create a miscalculation with Iran. Eisenkot also criticized the reported clash and warned against putting political interests over national security, according to reports of his remarks. On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump reposted an endorsement urging Israelis to vote for Netanyahu.

Reporting based on coverage by ANI and The Times of Israel.