Netanyahu and General Zamir Clash Over Iran Strike Ahead of Israeli and U.S. Elections

A report aired by Israel's Channel 12 television has revealed an 'unprecedented' crisis between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chief of the General Staff General Eyal Zamir, centered on the possibility of launching new strikes against Iran ahead of Israel's general elections scheduled for October 27 and the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November 3.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Netanyahu discussed in the first week of October the possibility of carrying out a fresh strike on Iran before both the Israeli and American elections, according to reports.

According to the channel, Zamir received instructions in recent days from the political echelon regarding Iran, following which he demanded that a serious assessment meeting be convened and insisted on obtaining a 'signed document with a wet stamp' before any step was taken. A military officer who spoke to the channel said the core of the crisis was 'Zamir's fear, and that of the military leadership, that political will could push Israel into a miscalculation against Iran as the elections approach.'

Reports indicated that the crisis between the two men escalated over the past 24 hours, and that Sunday's meeting held at Palmachim Air Base took place in an atmosphere described as 'extremely tense and cold.'

Leaks revealed a statement Zamir made in a closed, press-excluded meeting, in which he said: 'We currently see no operational indicator that requires striking Iran ahead of the elections. And if we determine that striking Iran is a necessity, we will carry it out.'

A senior security official described Zamir's role by saying: 'History will not forget the role Zamir has played in recent days.'

Netanyahu, for his part, denied in a statement to Channel 14 television that any crisis exists with Zamir, saying: 'All of this is nonsense — there are those who are trying to manufacture a quarrel here.' He added that Zamir, Military Intelligence chief Shlomi Binder, and Mossad director Roman Gofman all confirmed that Iran is attempting to interfere in the elections.

Netanyahu had previously announced, during a speech delivered on the northern border of the occupied West Bank, that intelligence services had detected threats of attacks against Israel ahead of the elections. Reports had earlier raised the possibility that his government might carry out a military operation against Iran, Lebanon, or the Gaza Strip before polling day.