SHROOM

We published tonight in the New York Times: Chief of Staff feared Netanyahu was pushing for a separate action against Iran, "that does not amount to an overt attack." Israeli officials say that Netanyahu had been pushing for weeks for an air strike on Iran ahead of the elections, but was met with opposition from Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. Zamir did not oppose the action against Iran in principle, but he opposed carrying it out before the elections and determined that there was no immediate or urgent need to act. He and Air Force Commander Omer Tishler also pointed to the political sensitivity and the difficulty of explaining to the public why the attack should be carried out at that time. A particularly interesting detail that emerges from the discussions concerns the last few days: Zamir began to fear that Netanyahu was pushing for another action against Iran, separate from the air strike, "that does not amount to an overt attack." The sources did not specify what that action was. But Zamir believed that such a move would be an error of judgment, which could lead Iran to attack Israel. Netanyahu's motives for pushing for an attack precisely before the elections are unclear. A return to war could have disrupted the vote and even postponed it. In the background, Netanyahu presents the elections to the public in apocalyptic terms: an image of a nuclear mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv, created by artificial intelligence, and a warning that the vote will decide "the existence of Israel." And the fear of the political consequences of renewed fighting does not end on election day. As we reported, war in the weeks that follow could also affect the practical outcome: If Netanyahu's opponents win, renewed fighting could make it difficult for them and even thwart their ability to form a coalition within the time set by law, and create pressure to form a unity government with Netanyahu's participation. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/26/world/middleeast/netanyahu-iran-israel-election.html?unlocked_article_code=1.L1E.KFpn.NoVK-dhopNxJ&smid=url-share W\ @halbfinger @natan_oden @adamrasgon @aboxerman1 via @nytimes @ynetalerts posted a summary in Hebrew: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/b1dkofrhgx