Netanyahu warns of Iran threat ahead of Israel vote on 27 Oktober

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 25 Oktober warned that Iran and its proxies could attack to disrupt Israel's election scheduled for 27 Oktober. In a video released by his office, Netanyahu said intelligence signs pointed to such a threat and stressed that the military was ready to carry out defensive operations and retaliatory strikes. The warning came amid a campaign that has placed heavy emphasis on security issues and a decline in support for Netanyahu and the Likud Party in several polls. The same day, he also posted an AI-generated image of a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv while underscoring what he described as an existential threat from Iran. On the opposition side, Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of trying to trigger an escalation with Iran to delay the election, an allegation Netanyahu denied.