Netanyahu, Army Chief Differ Over Action Against Iran Ahead of Israeli Elections

Reports have emerged of differences between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s military leadership over a possible military operation against Iran ahead of parliamentary elections. The proposed action has raised fears of a military confrontation with Iran, while the opposition has accused Netanyahu of spreading fear for electoral gains.
According to a report by Israel’s Channel 12, differences arose between Netanyahu and army chief Eyal Zamir over a proposed military operation, which could trigger a conflict with Iran before Israel’s elections.
The channel reported that Zamir sought detailed discussions and written legal approval from the political leadership before implementing the directive. However, the broadcaster did not disclose the nature of the proposed military operation.
Citing concerns within military circles, the report said the political leadership could use tensions with Iran to gain electoral advantage ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27.
A security official warned that the operation could quickly escalate into a confrontation with Iran and that a miscalculation or wrong decision at an extremely sensitive time could worsen the situation.
However, Netanyahu denied any rift with Zamir during an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 on Sunday, saying: “There is no conflict.”
Political officials also rejected allegations that the Iran issue was being used for electoral purposes.
In the same interview, Netanyahu said he had directed Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad and the military to work towards toppling the Iranian government. However, Channel 12 could not verify whether the classified proposed military operation was linked to these directives.
Netanyahu also claimed that Iran had restarted its nuclear programme and described the elections as a matter of Israel’s survival.
Earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image on social media showing a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv, along with a warning about the risk of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.
Opposition leaders Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan accused Netanyahu of attempting to spread fear and panic ahead of the elections.