Netanyahu sought Iran strike ahead of elections, IDF chief resisted, report says

In recent weeks, ahead of Israel's Knesset elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to push forward with a strike on Iran but faced opposition from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, The New York Times reported Monday, citing three senior defense officials and three other people briefed on the matter. According to five of those sources, there remains some possibility that fighting could resume in the coming weeks, as another war with Iran could encourage the formation of a national unity government led by Netanyahu, the report said.

According to an Israeli official and another person familiar with the details, Zamir had become increasingly convinced in recent days that Netanyahu was pushing for an operation against Iran on a smaller scale than an overt military strike. The sources did not specify what such an operation would involve. However, according to the report, Zamir believed that even a relatively "small" operation could lead to a miscalculation that might prompt Iran to attack Israel during the politically sensitive period surrounding the Knesset elections.

The New York Times report follows other reports that Netanyahu intended to launch an attack on Iran before the elections. According to CNN, U.S. President Donald Trump prevented the move by refusing to give the prime minister the green light. The report also follows accounts of disagreements and tensions between Netanyahu and Zamir after a series of statements against Iran by the prime minister and Defense Minister Israel Katz, as well as a mysterious strike in Iraq.

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit addressed the dispute Monday, saying the military's considerations were based "solely on security, professional, substantive and national interests." According to reports, the IDF feared a miscalculation involving Iran during the sensitive election period. Channel 12 News reported that Zamir had received instructions from the political leadership in recent days regarding an operation against Iran and requested an in-depth discussion before it was carried out.

He also reportedly demanded formal, signed legal authorization from the political leadership for the operation. A defense official said the operation could trigger a brief but intense confrontation with Iran at a particularly sensitive and consequential moment, potentially resulting from a miscalculation. According to sources, the atmosphere at a meeting held Sunday at Palmachim Air Base was extremely tense. The meeting marked the height of the dispute between Netanyahu and Zamir.

Political sources assessed Monday that Zamir would not remain in his position if Netanyahu won the elections. However, the prime minister and Defense Minister Israel Katz denied those claims. The mysterious strike in Iraq Ron Ben-Yishai, ynet military analyst, cited a report published Saturday by the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, according to which Iraq suspects that two sites storing air defense systems, apparently optically guided anti-aircraft missiles, were hit in airstrikes last week.

The missiles had been transferred from Iran to pro-Iranian militias to serve as an additional forward line of defense in eastern Iraq against Israeli Air Force aircraft and drones in the event of an Israeli strike on Iran. One such strike by the Israeli Air Force had already been carried out several days earlier using drones or precision-guided missiles launched from a distance. The incident was reported by a small number of Arab media outlets.

Israel has not confirmed the strike, while the Iraqi government has neither confirmed nor denied that it took place. Netanyahu wanted these operations to help both the Saudis and the Kurds in northern Iraq, who have been targeted by the militias. Zamir believed that Israel had already done enough, partly in cooperation with the Americans. He was concerned that media reports about the strikes could force Iran to come to the aid of the Shiite militias loyal to Tehran, which had also provided them with financial support to enable Iran's Quds Force to pay salaries.

CNN reported, citing two U.S. officials and an Israeli defense official, that Netanyahu was seeking to advance new strikes against Iran but that U.S. officials had asked him to postpone them until the Trump administration was ready to conduct joint operations. "Netanyahu really wanted and tried to convince Trump for a joint attack in Iran before the elections, and Trump did not give a green light," the Israeli defense official told CNN.

The Prime Minister's Office dismissed the report as "fake news." "The military operation in Hebron, launched after a deadly terrorist attack that killed two IDF soldiers at a nearby junction, had become another point of contention between the IDF's senior command and the political leadership just ahead of Wednesday's elections. As troops from the IDF's 98th Division continue intensive operations, including searches for weapons, arrests of suspects, evacuations of residents and demolitions of illegally constructed buildings, military officials believe that the limited operational results achieved so far warrant reassessing the need to continue the operation in its current form.

According to sources familiar with the details, at a meeting between senior IDF commanders and the political leadership, attended by Netanyahu and Katz, Zamir presented his position that the time had come to end the operation. The prime minister and defense minister, however, disagreed and ordered the military to continue its activities. Ultimately, the chief of staff's position was rejected, and a decision was made to continue the operation.