Netanyahu and Katz Deny Channel 12 Report of Clash With Army Chief Over Iran Action Before Israel's Vote

With Israelis voting Tuesday, Oct. 27, the campaign's final hours have been consumed by a single question: did the prime minister try to light a fuse with Iran before voters go to the polls? As of today, Oct. 26, that question has no public answer.

What Channel 12 reported

On Sunday evening, Israel's Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir clashed over an "action" the political leadership had directed the military to carry out. The station cited security officials who said the move would "trigger a rapid escalation into a confrontation with Iran."

According to Channel 12, Zamir asked for an in-depth discussion and signed legal authorization before proceeding. Its sources also said Zamir and other senior officers worried the political echelon might exploit the Iran front for electoral gain.

Channel 12 did not say what the operation was. Every detail beyond the existence of a disputed directive comes from the broadcaster's unnamed sources.

The denials

Netanyahu's office dismissed the report as "fake news." Late Sunday, on Channel 14's "The Patriots," the prime minister said: "There is no confrontation." He added that "someone is trying to obscure the fact that Zamir himself had said Iran was attempting to interfere in the elections."

Defense Minister Israel Katz went further on Monday. "I state unequivocally that there has been no intention by Israel of initiating an attack on Iran before the elections in Israel," he wrote on X. He called reports of gaps between political and military leaders "completely baseless and false" and said coordination with the IDF is complete.

Katz also said Israel would respond forcefully if Iran attacks first.

In the same Channel 14 interview, Netanyahu said he had instructed the Mossad and the military to work toward toppling Iran's government. Channel 12 did not establish whether the undisclosed operation was connected to that instruction. Netanyahu also claimed Iran had resumed its nuclear program and portrayed the election as a matter of Israel's survival.

The opposition's accusations

The opposition did not wait for facts. Yair Lapid wrote Sunday that Netanyahu "wants to set off an escalation and a confrontation with Iran, just to postpone the elections." He added: "This man has lost his grip. We absolutely must send him home."

Gadi Eisenkot, the former chief of staff and Netanyahu's main rival, warned him not to "dare to place your own political interests above the security of the state." His post ended: "Netanyahu, my eyes are on you."

Avigdor Lieberman, head of Yisrael Beytenu, went furthest. He sent the attorney general a letter demanding a criminal investigation into possible treason, citing Netanyahu's alleged "attempts to drag Israel into a war on the eve of elections, including a willingness to sacrifice (Israeli) soldiers out of fear of losing the election."

That is an allegation in a letter. No investigation or charge has been announced.

On Sunday Netanyahu also posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv with a warning about Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. Eisenkot and Yair Golan accused him of spreading fear and panic before the vote.

Trump's endorsement

President Donald Trump has endorsed Netanyahu, calling him a "great warrior" and an "even greater partner for peace." Netanyahu thanked him for an "extraordinary endorsement" and said, "Together we will never let Iran's regime get nuclear weapons."

Doron Spielman, the prime minister's international spokesman, told Fox News Digital that Israel prefers to act with the U.S. against Iran. He noted that during Operation Rising Lion in June 2025, Israel acted for over a week before the U.S. joined.

According to most Hebrew-language media polls, neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition led by Eisenkot has a clear path to the 61 Knesset seats needed to form a government.

What comes next

Eylon Levy, a former Israeli government spokesman, told Euronews he considers a return to war with Iran "extremely likely" after the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3. He called the current standoff with Tehran unsustainable and said Trump was reluctant to resume hostilities before the midterms because of oil prices. That is one analyst's prediction, not a government position.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said it makes "no difference to us" who leads Israel. In Gaza, displaced residents voiced similar fatalism. Ibrahim Qeshta, who fled Rafah, said of the main challenger: "Eisenkot is like Netanyahu, he will be the same."

The reporting backs that point on policy. Netanyahu and his main rivals take broadly similar approaches to Israel's regional security in Gaza and toward Iran. The dispute on the eve of the vote is about who controls the trigger and when.

Polls open Tuesday. Channel 12 has not named the operation Zamir reportedly questioned, and Netanyahu and Katz deny any clash or any intention to attack Iran before the election.