Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed on the eve of the general election that Iran and its allies may try to disrupt the polls, issuing a stern warning against any hostile action.
Israel goes to the polls on Tuesday (27 October), its first general elections since a new round of conflict erupted between Israel and Hamas in October 2023.
“We have intelligence indicating that our enemies, namely Iran and its proxies, may challenge us by launching attacks to disrupt the elections,” Netanyahu said in a video released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday (25 October).
He said the Israeli military was prepared for both defence and attack. He also warned Iran, “Don’t test us. You will suffer disproportionate blows.”
Netanyahu, who is seeking re-election, has strongly emphasised his security credentials during the campaign, touting the war he launched jointly with the US against Iran in February.
However, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu had clashed with Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir over a “new directive” related to the war with Iran.
The details of the directive are unclear, but sources said Zamir had “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”.
There are reportedly concerns within the Israeli military that the war with Iran could be exploited for political gain.
Netanyahu subsequently denied the account, dismissing the report as “complete nonsense”.
Citing the report, opposition Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of seeking to postpone the election by escalating the conflict and confrontation with Iran.
Netanyahu claimed last Wednesday (21 October) that he had instructed Israeli security forces to overthrow the Iranian regime.
Trump backs Netanyahu, urges Israelis to support him
The final pre-election polls released by Israel’s three main television channels last Friday all projected that Netanyahu’s governing coalition would win just 50 of the 120 seats — 17 fewer than it currently holds and well short of a parliamentary majority.
US news website Axios reported on Sunday that Netanyahu had spoken twice over the past three days with US President Donald Trump, with whom he has close ties, asking him to step up his public support.
Netanyahu is understood to have suggested that Trump speak with Israeli journalists to bolster support for him.
Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu last week. In another social media post on Sunday, he urged Israelis to vote for the “warrior prime minister”, citing the US-Israeli war against Iran as a victory the two had achieved together.
