Ma'ariv: Netanyahu Seeks to Postpone Any Strike on Iran Until Elections End

Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes, in closed-door meetings with a narrow circle of advisers, that launching a military attack on Iran during the two weeks remaining before elections could damage the Likud party's chances of retaining power.

The newspaper stated that Netanyahu bases his opposition to the current timing on two arguments: first, that postponing elections in a security emergency has become practically unfeasible, as Article 9(a) of the Knesset Basic Law requires the approval of at least 80 members of parliament—a threshold the Likud camp views as politically impossible to achieve with opposition support. Second, the report noted that the possibility of resuming strikes on Iran is being raised in security communications between Washington and Tel Aviv.

The report stems from a single newspaper citing sources from closed-door meetings. No official confirmation has been issued from Netanyahu's office, and neither the Israeli military nor the Israeli government has commented on the questions raised—a silence itself worthy of note.