Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has dismissed reports of a disagreement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s military leadership over possible new action against Iran.
Katz, in a statement posted on X on Monday, described the reports as “entirely baseless and false,” insisting that there was complete coordination between the political leadership and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the Iran issue.
The denial followed a report by Israel’s Channel 12 on Sunday that Netanyahu and the Israeli army chief, Eyal Zamir, had clashed over an unspecified directive.
According to the report, Zamir had requested a detailed discussion, legal guarantees and signatures from political leaders before implementing the directive.
The report also cited concerns within the military that the ongoing war could be exploited for political purposes.
However, Katz stated that Israel had no intention of launching an attack on Iran before the elections.
Netanyahu also dismissed the report as “rubbish” during a television appearance.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of seeking to escalate tensions with Iran to delay the elections.
In a post on X on Sunday, Lapid alleged that the prime minister was pursuing an escalation and confrontation with Iran for political reasons, calling for his removal from office.
Netanyahu has made national security a central theme of his campaign, arguing that his leadership is necessary to conclude the US-Israeli war against Iran.