Netanyahu Vows 'Final Blow' to Iran Before Knesset Vote

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has put Iran at the center of the campaign. Five days before Israelis vote in the October 27 Knesset election, he pledged that Israel will finish the job against the Islamic Republic, and he told voters the decision is theirs. He made the remarks in an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News.

"We've done it before, and we'll do it now and bring the final blow," Netanyahu declared. "Either we destroy them or they destroy us. That's what the voters have to decide on."

Netanyahu compared Iran's nuclear program to cancer. Israel has struck its facilities and scientific personnel, he noted, yet the regime keeps trying to rebuild. "They're crippled. They're on their knees. But as long as this regime survives, it'll make its way back," he warned.

Asked whether Tehran can currently produce a nuclear weapon, he said serious obstacles remain. "They still have problems with weaponization, with things I won't get into," he stated.

Trump and Netanyahu (Photo: White House)

The prime minister repeated a directive he has discussed publicly before, instructing the Mossad and the IDF to work toward toppling the regime. "There's only one way to guarantee that it's over. And that is to bring down this regime. That's the directive that I gave the Mossad and the IDF. We're going to bring them down," he said. Asked how Israel could achieve that, he answered: "Well, we can. They're very weak. I think we can, and I know we will."

Netanyahu pointed to statements by US President Donald Trump about his willingness to complete the campaign against Iran. He argued that Trump sees him as the partner needed to reach that goal.

He also rejected a report that Trump had stopped Israel from carrying out a planned strike on Iran. "It's an incorrect report. One day, the truth will come out," he said. As JFeed reported, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday that Netanyahu had pushed for a multi-day bombing campaign over the weekend of October 10. According to that report, the operation was shelved because Trump opposed renewing hostilities before the US midterm elections.

Netanyahu tied the Iranian threat directly to the ballot. "If we don't do it, you know, it's either us or this thugocracy in Tehran," he said.

He admitted he is worried about the result. "I'm concerned because we're almost in an even deadlock," he said. He noted that left-wing parties stand at about 40 seats in current projections and warned that the backing of Arab parties could allow them to form a government. He cautioned right-wing voters against staying home and against backing small parties that may fail to cross the electoral threshold. "Don't waste your vote. Vote for Likud. Vote for MACHAL. If you want me as prime minister," he urged.

Netanyahu also said Trump's endorsement of his candidacy caught him off guard. "Never asked for it. Not once," he said. Asked whether he had been surprised, he replied: "Completely. I didn't know."

In the same interview, Netanyahu said Israel will disarm Hamas in Gaza itself after the United States failed to find an international force for the task. He said he made that offer to Washington once Israel controlled more than 60% of the Gaza Strip.