Nathan Shachar: Netanyahu's generals want to stop an Iran attack before the election

Last week, Trump stepped up his Iran rhetoric and journalists in the US reported that the president and Netanyahu discussed a major armed attack. That prompted Israel's Foreign Minister Eyal Zamir to immediately contact Admiral Brad Cooper, who commands US forces in the region. An attack on Iran, Zamir warned, would mean postponing the Israeli elections to a later, unknown date.

Such a scenario, with either postponed or war-torn elections, is precisely what Netanyahu's domestic rivals fear.

A White House source told Israel's TV12 that "we are aware of Netanyahu's ulterior motives and his wishes before the election." On Thursday, when Trump was asked "Do you trust Netanyahu?" he replied "I don't trust anyone".

The Israeli foreign intelligence agency Mossad has so far been led by experts, who have generally refused to allow themselves to be used politically. Today, the head of the Mossad and his inner circle are all Netanyahu loyalists. If they are ordered to "feed" the US with overly dramatic information about suspicious movements around Iran's nuclear facilities, they will.

ÖB Zamir, who believes that Israel's soldiers and equipment are in urgent need of rest, is making an effort to help the US interpret Netanyahu's actions correctly. On Friday night, he went further than ever, when "senior military sources" told Israeli media that "nothing in Iran right now requires immediate military intervention."

This is extraordinary in the routines of Israel and in democratic countries. The government, not the generals, makes the decisions about war and peace.

Zamir, who was his military secretary for several years and knows him inside out, was handpicked last year by the prime minister. Zamir has proven far more independent and less responsive to Netanyahu's political needs than expected - among other things, he was on the notes when Trump forced Israel to a cease-fire in Gaza in November 2025.

Netanyahu's explanation is that he is not seeking military conflict, but that "signs indicate that Iran may attack us before the election" - which could force a pre-emptive Israeli counterattack. Opposition leader Yair Lapid has for several weeks accused Netanyahu of trying to whip up panic before the election. This in the hope that the Iranian threat would dominate the election debate, instead of the government's failure on October 7, 2023, which the opposition wants the election to be about.