Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that reports of a rift between the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over fresh aggression on Iran were “entirely baseless.”
Israeli Channel 12 reported on Sunday, citing unnamed sources, that there had been a confrontation between Netanyahu and Zamir over an unspecified new directive.
The Israeli premier dismissed the report as “rubbish” during a TV appearance, and Katz characterized it as an effort to cast doubt on the Netanyahu bloc’s judgment on the eve of close elections.
“The reports about gaps between the political echelon and the IDF (army) on the Iran issue are entirely baseless and false,” Katz said on X, referring to Israeli occupation forces (IOF). In this context, he insisted there was “complete” coordination between the two.
In its report, Channel 12 said Zamir had demanded a detailed discussion as well as legal guarantees and the signatures of the political leadership before carrying out the alleged directive he had received.
The outlet did not offer details of the directive, but cited sources saying there were concerns within the occupation army that the war might be exploited for political gain.
Katz stated “unequivocally that there was no intention on Israel’s part to initiate an attack on Iran before the elections.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid referenced the report in a post on X Sunday, accusing Netanyahu of seeking to put off the vote.
“Tonight it was published that he wants to set off an escalation and a confrontation with Iran, just to postpone the elections,” he said.
“This man has lost his grip. We absolutely must send him home.”
Netanyahu has campaigned heavily on his security credentials, claiming that “only” he “can finish the job” in the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Source: Israeli media (edited by Al-Manar)