Netanyahu on reported clash with IDF chief over Iran military action
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies Channel 12’s report of an “unprecedented confrontation” between him and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over an effort by Israel’s political leadership to order some kind of military action relating to Iran just before Tuesday’s election.
Asked about the report during an interview on the pro-government Channel 14, Netanyahu says that “someone here is trying to start a fight, to blur the fact that the chief of staff himself said, and the head of IDF Military Intelligence said, and the head of the Mossad said, that Iran is trying to harm the elections.”
“We are preparing for it,” says Netanyahu.
“There was no fight between us,” he emphasizes. “It’s all nonsense.”
According to Channel 12, Zamir is resisting carrying out the unspecified military action, and has reportedly sought signed documentation from Netanyahu regarding legal authorization for it.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article says only that Zamir is resisting the action and has sought signed documentation on its legal authorisation. It never says what the Channel 12 report gave as his reason: military leaders feared the action could set off a rapid confrontation and a miscalculation with Iran days before the election, and that the political leadership was trying to exploit the Iran front for political gain. Without this, a reader sees a dispute over paperwork that Netanyahu calls 'nonsense'. The reader does not learn that the army chief reportedly saw a risk of war being started for electoral advantage. Antiwar.com quotes The Times of Israel itself as carrying the military source on this.
How we know
- Antiwar.com reported“the concern of Zamir and the military echelon that the political echelon could lead Israel into a scenario of miscalculation facing Iran just before the elections”Israeli Media: IDF Chief Resisted Netanyahu Order for Military Action Related to Iran (opens in a new tab)
- The Jerusalem Post reported“Zamir and additional IDF leadership are concerned that the political echelon may be trying to exploit the front with Iran ahead of elections for political gain”IDF chief pushed back on Netanyahu order for ‘action’ against Iran, fearing political motives (opens in a new tab)
“I instructed the IDF and the Mossad to topple the [Iranian] regime,” Netanyahu tells Channel 14 earlier in the interview.
He claims Arab states are waiting in line to join the Abraham Accords normalization agreement if Israel completes that mission against Iran.
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