Netanyahu Says Iran May Try To Disrupt Israeli Election With Attacks
Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Iran and its allies might try to disrupt Tuesday's elections in Israel with attacks, warning Tehran that Jerusalem would respond with overwhelming counterstrikes.
"We have intelligence signs that our enemies, Iran and its proxies, could challenge us with attacks in order to disrupt the elections," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office on Sunday.
"Don't test us. You will suffer disproportionate blows," he said, adding that the Israeli military was postured for defensive and offensive operations.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday it "makes no difference" who wins the Israeli election. At a press briefing in Tehran, he was asked about reports in Israeli media that Iran might launch a preemptive military strike to disrupt the vote.
"I do not think there are elections there in the true sense of the word," Baghaei said, according to Iranian state-run media IRNA. "It is a race among individuals, each trying to prove that they can commit more crimes, aggression, and killings than the others."
Baghaei's remarks came as Tehran prepared to host senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey - the three signatories of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement - to discuss regional security and de-escalation of the conflict between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other. Netanyahu's warning came as Israelis on Monday entered the final 24 hours of an intense election season, as reports circulated that Netanyahu may have tried to pressure Israeli military leaders into initiating a possible escalation with Iran on the eve of the vote.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz denied the reports.
"The reports about gaps between the political echelon and the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] on the Iran issue are entirely baseless and false," Katz said in a Monday post on X.
"I state unequivocally that there was no intention on Israel's part to initiate an attack on Iran before the elections in Israel - when we made clear that if Iran attacks Israel, we will respond with great force."
He also accused opposition figures of exploiting these reports for political gain.
Israel's opposition candidates seized on the reports to criticize Netanyahu, accusing him of putting regional stability at risk in order to boost his chances at the ballot.
Netanyahu's main rival, former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, took to social media to criticize him for putting his "political interests above the state's security."
"We will not allow you to endanger Israel's future in order to preserve your rule," he wrote.
Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, said he sent a letter to Israel's attorney general demanding a criminal investigation into Netanyahu on charges of treason.
"The attempt to drag the State of Israel into war on the eve of elections, together with the willingness to sacrifice IDF soldiers solely due to fear of losing the elections, constitutes treason against the state, its security, and the IDF soldiers," Lieberman wrote in a post on X.
Trump Endorses Netanyahu
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Monday that a vote for Netanyahu would "finish the job" of stopping Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Describing Netanyahu as an "outstanding Warrior Prime Minister," Trump wrote, "There can no longer be the chant heard around the World of 'Death to America, Death to Israel,' and there won't be."
As Israeli voters head to the polls on Tuesday, Netanyahu's party is neck and neck with Eisenkot, his strongest rival, in a campaign that has largely revolved around security.
Calling Trump a "true friend" of Israel, Eisenkot said on social media that he appreciates the U.S. president's actions and commitment to Israel's security. At the same time, he downplayed Trump's endorsement of Netanyahu, saying that he is convinced Trump would work "in full cooperation with any leader" chosen by Israelis.
Meanwhile, senior Israeli security officials told Epoch Magazine Israel that any potential future Israeli military action against Iran could include the assassination of senior regime figures, most notably current Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander General Ahmad Vahidi.
The officials said credible intelligence indicates that Khamenei remains involved in the regime's most critical decisions. They added, however, that targeting Iran's top leadership would not in itself be enough to bring the regime down, and that further measures, particularly strikes against Iran's energy facilities and nuclear sites, would be necessary.