Netanyahu, Israeli defence chief deny reported clash with army over Iran action

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz denied reports of a dispute with the military over a proposed operation that army leaders feared could trigger confrontation with Iran shortly before Israel’s Oct. 27 election.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that military chief Eyal Zamir sought a detailed discussion and written legal authorization from political leaders before carrying out an undisclosed instruction. The broadcaster said senior military officials were concerned the operation could escalate rapidly and that tensions with Iran might be used for electoral advantage. It did not identify the proposed action.

Netanyahu told Channel 14 on Sunday that there was “no confrontation” with Zamir, while his office called the Channel 12 account “fake news.” Katz said Monday that reports of divisions between civilian and military leaders were “entirely baseless,” adding that Israel had no intention of initiating an attack on Iran before the election. He said Israel would respond forcefully if attacked first.

Opposition politicians seized on the report. Netanyahu’s main challenger, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, warned him not to place political interests above national security. Avigdor Lieberman called for an investigation into whether Netanyahu had sought to draw Israel into war to avoid losing the election, while Yair Lapid accused the prime minister of seeking an escalation to postpone the vote.

In a separate interview, Netanyahu said he had instructed Israel’s military and Mossad intelligence agency to work toward toppling Iran’s government. Channel 12 did not establish whether that directive was connected to the reported operation.