Yesh party chairman Gadi Eisenkot and Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman launched sharp attacks on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday evening, following a Channel 12 report of an unusual confrontation between the prime minister and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over a military operation that could have led to escalation with Iran. Both opposition leaders claimed Netanyahu is attempting to advance military action for political reasons, with elections scheduled in two days.
"Netanyahu, my eyes are on you," Eisenkot wrote on his X account, adding: "The man on whose watch the greatest disaster in the state's history occurred refuses to understand that Israel's security is not a political plaything, the lives of Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers are not hefker, and the State of Israel is not his private property."
Liberman issued a particularly harsh statement accusing Netanyahu of attempting to lead the country into military action to prevent the elections from taking place.
"As I said several weeks ago, I have no doubt that Bibi is forcefully trying to drag Israel into a military move in order to prevent the elections. This conduct amounts to betraying the state and its security," Liberman wrote.
The attacks follow a report by Channel 12 political correspondent Yaron Avraham that relations between Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Zamir have reached an unprecedented low, after Zamir refused to carry out a military operation ordered by the political echelon.
According to the report, during a security assessment attended by the prime minister and senior political and security officials, a sharp confrontation developed over the execution of a particular operation that, according to the reports, could have led to escalation with Iran.
The chief of staff refused to carry out the operation at that stage, demanded further in-depth discussions, and even requested "legal documentation" from the political echelon. According to the report, the discussion deteriorated into harsh tones and became a personal confrontation. A security source quoted by Channel 12 claimed that Zamir's role in preventing the operation from being carried out was critical.
Following the report, Eisenkot expressed explicit support for the chief of staff and the army's commanders.
"I have full confidence in Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the IDF commanders who act out of professional responsibility and absolute commitment to the state's security. We will not allow the IDF to be turned into a tool in Netanyahu's survival campaign," he wrote.
