Netanyahu warns Iran may try to disrupt election, says 'don't test us'

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran and its allies might try to disrupt Tuesday's Israeli elections, warning the Islamic republic against any hostile acts.

The remarks came as Israel's Channel 12 reported, citing unnamed sources, that there had been a confrontation between Netanyahu and army chief Eyal Zamir over an unspecified new directive in the war with Iran, which the premier denied.

Netanyahu has campaigned heavily on his security credentials, touting the war he launched against Iran in February alongside the United States and suggesting that he alone can see it through.

"We have intelligence signs that our enemies, Iran and its proxies, could challenge us with attacks in order to disrupt the elections," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office on Sunday.

"Don't test us. You will suffer disproportionate blows," he added, noting the military was ready for both defensive and offensive operations.

In its report on the purported confrontation between Netanyahu and Zamir, Channel 12 said the latter had "demanded an in-depth discussion before carrying out the directive he had received, as well as legal guarantees and the signatures of the political echelon."

It did not offer details of the directive, but cited sources saying there were concerns within the army that the war might be exploited for political gain.

In a television appearance later in the day, Netanyahu dismissed the report as "nothing but rubbish."

Opposition leader Yair Lapid referenced the report in a post on X, accusing Netanyahu of seeking to put off the vote.

"Tonight it was published that he wants to set off an escalation and a confrontation with Iran, just to postpone the elections," he said.

"This man has lost his grip. We absolutely must send him home."

Earlier on Sunday, the premier posted an AI-generated image of a mushroom cloud engulfing Tel Aviv, alongside text attributed to a right-wing political commentator calling Iran an existential threat and arguing that all the other issues discussed this election season were trivial in comparison.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu said he had sent a directive to Israel's security forces to topple Iran's clerical state.

A day earlier, he posted a video of himself in front of a fighter jet speaking to US President Donald Trump by phone saying they would "finish the job" together.--AFP