IDF brass fears Netanyahu may launch Iran offensive before Tuesday's election

Israeli election contender Gadi Eisenkot held his final major rally on Sunday, pledging to unite the country and address the economy and security. Eisenkot vowed to heal societal divisions and promised a state commission of inquiry into the failings regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. According to Free Malaysia Today, polling previously showed Eisenkot and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu running neck and neck before a ban on new polling took effect three days before Tuesday's vote.

During the campaign, Netanyahu has emphasized his security credentials and characterized Eisenkot as soft on Iran. On Sunday, Netanyahu shared an AI image of an Iranian nuclear bomb exploding in Tel Aviv, which Eisenkot dismissed as "hysterical" and accused him of using "lies and scare tactics." Haaretz reports that IDF leadership disagrees with the prime minister over the urgency of an offensive against Iran and believes Netanyahu is using footage of his military base tours as a deliberate provocation against Iran and its proxies.

Arutz Sheva - Israel National News reports that senior security officials and figures close to Netanyahu believe military strikes might weaken the Iranian regime but would not be enough to cause its collapse.

Brief written by urgent.news from Haaretz, Al-Monitor, Jerusalem Post, Free Malaysia Today, Arutz Sheva - Israel National News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.