Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned during a visit to the Tel Nof air base that Israel has indications its enemies could attempt an attack ahead of the elections, although he did not identify who Israel believes may be preparing such an action.
“We have indications that, ahead of the elections, our enemies will try to attack us,” Netanyahu said in a video from the base.
The prime minister issued a warning to those behind any prospective attack, pointing to Israel’s ability to respond beyond its borders.
“So from here, from the Air Force base, from the long arm of Israel, I am sending you a message: Don’t mess with us not now, and not ever. Our long arm will reach you anywhere and at any time.”
Netanyahu gave no further details about the threat and did not name the enemies to whom he was referring.
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party and a political opponent of Netanyahu, questioned the warning in a post on X, asking whether it could be a “political stunt.”
Eisenkot called for opposition leader Yair Lapid to receive a briefing “to ensure that this is indeed a genuine threat and not a political maneuver intended to undermine the electoral process.”
“Israel’s security must never be conflated with the election campaign,” Eisenkot emphasized. “Not even for appearances’ sake.”
Separately, Iranian officials issued warnings about the possibility of further conflict.
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said at a press conference that Iran was continuing work on new weapons while upgrading existing arms and maintaining weapons production.
“We are incessantly designing new weapons, upgrading the existing ones, and continuing our mass production of weaponry to be able to defend ourselves.”
He added, “We employ technologies from around the world to manufacture arms capable of defending our country and our people,” Mohebbi said, adding, “If the conflicts assume another form, we will definitely bring new weapons to the battlefield.”
Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also warned Tuesday that regional infrastructure could be targeted if Iran could not ensure its security or sell oil.
“In a region where we cannot sell oil, no one else will sell oil.”
