Netanyahu 'pushed for an attack on Iran' days before Israel's election, but army chief Eyal Zamir resisted him

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged his military leadership to attack Iran in the days leading up to Tuesday's election, but armed forces chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir pushed back, cautioning that such a move could trigger an immediate Iranian counter-attack. Three senior Israeli defence officials confirmed the dispute, stating that Netanyahu had been pushing for a strike for weeks before Zamir's resistance steered him toward a separate, undisclosed operation that stopped short of direct military action.

Zamir reportedly insisted that Netanyahu's order be put in writing, concerned it could set off a catastrophic miscalculation by Tehran.

Netanyahu denied the reports, but separately shared an AI-generated image depicting a nuclear mushroom cloud above Tel Aviv, urging voters to elect him or face annihilation.

Netanyahu also reportedly lobbied President Trump in recent weeks to launch a fresh assault on Iran, as his far-right coalition holds a narrow deficit in the polls.