Israel’s Netanyahu clashes with army chief over Iran-linked operation ahead of election: Report

By Said Amori and Tarek Chouiref

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir clashed over a proposed military operation that could trigger fighting with Iran ahead of Israel’s election, Channel 12 reported Sunday.

Zamir requested a detailed discussion and signed legal authorization from political leaders before carrying out their instructions, the broadcaster said. It did not disclose the nature of the operation.

The report cited military concerns that the political leadership could exploit tensions with Iran for electoral gain before the Oct. 27 parliamentary vote.

A security official warned that the operation could rapidly escalate into a confrontation with Iran and lead to a miscalculation at a particularly sensitive time.

Netanyahu denied any dispute with Zamir during an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 later Sunday.

“There is no confrontation,” he said.

Political officials also rejected the claim that the Iranian issue was being used for electoral purposes, according to Channel 12.

In the same interview, Netanyahu said he had instructed the Mossad intelligence agency and the military to work toward toppling Iran’s government.

Channel 12 did not establish whether the undisclosed operation was connected to those instructions.

Netanyahu also claimed Iran had resumed its nuclear program and portrayed the election as a matter of Israel’s survival.

Earlier Sunday, he posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv alongside a warning about Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. Opposition party leaders Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan accused him of spreading fear and panic before the vote.