Liberman blames Netanyahu for election eve military row

Avigdor Liberman, chairman of Yisrael Beytenu, requested on Monday that Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara open a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on suspicion of treason. The move does not confirm wrongdoing or guarantee an official probe will begin. It follows a report by N12 on Sunday alleging that Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir clashed over a military operation that risked a confrontation with Iran.

The dispute reportedly occurred two days before the national election scheduled for October 27. In a Sunday post on X, Liberman argued that the prime minister sought to trigger military action to delay the vote. He characterized the alleged behavior as a betrayal of the state’s security interests. Liberman contended that the chief of staff must prevent the military from serving political agendas and protect troops from unnecessary danger.

During a Monday interview with 103FM, Liberman confirmed he would approach the attorney-general with the request. "The man has gone off the rails," Liberman said. He criticized Netanyahu for shifting between different threats, stating, "One day he's preparing a crypto bomb for us, and the next day an atomic bomb. He just said he had destroyed all of Iran's bombs, and now he's dropping bombs on Tel Aviv?"

Liberman described relations between the military and the political leadership as "never been as strained as it is now." He attributed the tension to Netanyahu’s attempt to provoke a miscalculation with Iran. The opposition leader emphasized that any action with war-like consequences requires a government decision. He asserted that the chief of staff has the strength to uphold the law in this matter.

Defense Minister Israel Katz rejected the claims on Monday. He stated there was no strain between the IDF and the political leadership. Katz said coordination on the Iran issue has been complete since he took office, citing "unprecedented historic achievements" for national security. He denied that Israel planned an attack before the elections and called reports on the matter "entirely false."

Katz accused opposition figures of using the reports to undermine the prime minister and himself. He noted that the government cannot discuss Iranian details publicly for understandable reasons. Katz labeled the effort "shameful and irresponsible" and added, "We will overcome this too."

The election is set for Sunday, October 27. The attorney-general’s office has not yet announced a decision on whether to open a formal investigation into the treason allegations.