Netanyahu clashes with IDF chief over secret operation before Israeli vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of President Donald Trump, is reportedly locked in an «unprecedented confrontation» with Israel's top military commander over an undisclosed operation that officials feared could ignite a clash with Iran just days before national elections. According to a report by Channel 12's Yaron Avraham, Netanyahu trails his chief rival in the polls ahead of Tuesday's vote.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reportedly worried that the political leadership could push Israel into a «miscalculation» with Iran on the eve of the election. Zamir refused to act until there was a thorough discussion of the order and the political leadership put its legal authorization in writing, the report said. Avraham said his report had been cleared by Israel's military censor.

Citing sources familiar with the details, Avraham reported that Zamir stood largely alone in his position. The heads of the Mossad and the Shin Bet intelligence agency reportedly backed carrying out the operation before the vote. Recent polls show the party of Netanyahu's main rival, former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, leading Netanyahu's party.

Commentators pointed to the unusual nature of the reported standoff. Breaking Points co-host Krystal Ball, a former Democratic congressional candidate, said Zamir was seen as a «yes man» for Netanyahu, so his reported resistance was notable. «Really quite extraordinary when Netanyahu is getting too wild for his own hand-picked IDF chief of staff,» she said.

Netanyahu's office dismissed the report as «fake news,» and political figures told Channel 12 that the military's concerns were an outright lie. Defense Minister Israel Katz called reports of a rift between political and military leaders «completely baseless and false.» Katz insisted Israel had no intention of attacking Iran before the election but would respond forcefully if Iran struck first.

The report has nonetheless intensified scrutiny of the government. Avigdor Liberman, a former finance and defense minister who now leads the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party, asked Israel's attorney general to open a criminal investigation of Netanyahu for treason. Liberman accused him of «pressuring the heads of the security establishment to take steps that could create a miscalculation vis-à-vis Iran.»

The reported standoff comes as the broader Iran conflict weighs on American politics as well. Additional coverage from Fortune describes how the nearly eight-month-old war with Iran has become a liability for Republicans in the United States ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, with rising fuel prices and new hostilities drawing voter frustration. An AP-NORC poll published the same week found that voters from both major parties want Congress to focus on affordability and ending the Iran war.

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Delaney Sawyer

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Delaney Sawyer covers public affairs, politics, business, culture and daily news for Core Memo. The role focuses on verification, context, and clear explanations for readers.

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