Report: IDF chief said he doesn’t see operational need to strike Iran ahead of election

Channel 13 reports that IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said during a recent private meeting that he doesn’t currently see an operational need to strike Iran before next week’s Knesset election.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused by critics of pushing for a renewal of the war against Iran to influence or delay the October 27 vote — a charge he has denied.

“We do not see any indications of a need to strike Iran before the election. If we determine that a strike on Iran is necessary, we will carry it out,” Zamir is quoted as having said.

Netanyahu’s main rival, Yashar chief Gadi Eisenkot, offered a similar message publicly earlier today, telling Channel 13, “There is no direct, immediate threat from Iran that necessitates a war prior to the election.”