Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told i24NEWS that Iran explicitly wants to kill him and other senior Israeli officials. He also warned that any attempt to disrupt Israel's upcoming election with security incidents will be met with "a very harsh" response.
Asked about the Iranian threats, Netanyahu said Israel has so far been the side doing the striking. "We will do everything necessary; and to this moment, it is we who have eliminated them, not the other way around," he said.
He said Israel's adversaries share one goal for the coming vote. "Everyone is saying Netanyahu must lose. All of Israel's enemies are united on this," Netanyahu declared.
Netanyahu predicted that there will be attempts to interfere in the election and to create security incidents. He warned that any such interference will draw "a very harsh" Israeli response.
Foreign interference claims have come up earlier in the campaign. In September, attorney Daniel Cohen, a former legal counsel to the Labor Party, called for police investigations into several prominent figures over alleged foreign interference in Israeli elections.
