‘Israeli’ army chief allegedly resisted Netanyahu order to strike Iran

An unprecedented confrontation has erupted between ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the military’s Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over a proposed military action linked to Iran, just days before Tuesday’s elections, according to a report by Hebrew Channel 12

Channel 12 reported that Zamir recently received a directive from the political echelon to carry out an unspecified action that security officials said would “trigger a rapid escalation into a confrontation with Iran.”

Due to the sensitive nature of the matter, Zamir requested an in-depth discussion and formal written authorization signed by political leaders before proceeding.

Sources familiar with the details told the channel that Zamir and other senior military leaders fear the political leadership may be seeking to exploit the Iran front for political gain ahead of the vote.

A senior ‘Israeli’ security official told Channel 12: “History will not forget the role Zamir played in recent days.”

The official described the ordered action as one that “could lead to a lightning confrontation with Iran at a sensitive and dramatic moment, and create a miscalculation.”

The report was cleared for publication by ‘Israel’s’ military censor.

Netanyahu denied any clash late Sunday night on Channel 14’s program The Patriots, stating “there is no confrontation” and claiming that “someone is trying to obscure the fact that Zamir himself had said Iran was attempting to interfere in the elections.”

Political officials quoted by the channel rejected the suggestion of electoral motives as “an outright lie.”

Yashar party chairman and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main election rival, publicly backed Zamir’s caution.

“Netanyahu, my eyes are on you,” Eisenkot said.

“The man, on whose watch the greatest disaster in the nation’s history occurred, refuses to grasp that Israel’s security is not a political plaything; that the lives of Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers are not to be treated with reckless disregard; and that the State of Israel is not his private property.”

He added that he has “full confidence in IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the IDF commanders, who act with professional responsibility and an absolute commitment to the nation’s security,” and warned: “We will not allow the IDF to be turned into a tool for Netanyahu’s political survival campaign. Do not dare to place your own political interests above the security of the State.”

The reported tensions come amid heightened sensitivity around any renewed confrontation with Iran so close to the October 27 elections.

Earlier this month, Zamir had indicated there was no operational need for a strike before the vote, and he had previously warned US officials that escalation could disrupt the election schedule.

Netanyahu, for his part, has continued to highlight Iranian threats, including posting imagery related to potential attacks and recording a warning video near an Arrow missile defense battery.