Netanyahu accused of treason over bid to drag Israel into Iran war to stay in power

Former Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman has demanded a criminal investigation into Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged treason, accusing the prime minister of pressuring military leaders into a confrontation with Iran to avert electoral defeat.

In a letter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, the leader of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party alleged that Netanyahu had spent the past month pushing security chiefs to take steps that could trigger a “miscalculation” with Tehran.

“The attempt to drag the State of Israel into war on the eve of elections, together with the willingness to sacrifice Israeli army soldiers solely out of fear of losing the elections, constitutes betrayal of the state, its security and its soldiers,” Lieberman wrote in the Hebrew-language letter.

פניתי הבוקר ליועצת המשפטית לממשלה בדרישה לפתוח בחקירה פלילית נגד בנימין נתניהו באשמת בגידה.

בחודש האחרון ראש ממשלת ישראל, בנימין נתניהו, לוחץ על ראשי מערכת הביטחון לנקוט צעדים שעלולים לייצר מיסקלקולציה מול איראן.

הניסיון לגרור את מדינת ישראל ערב הבחירות למלחמה, יחד עם הנכונות להקריב את חיילי צה״ל רק בשל חשש מהפסד בבחירות, הם בגידה במדינה, בביטחונה ובחיילי צה״ל.

— אביגדור ליברמן (@AvigdorLiberman) October 26, 2026

OPINION: Trump’s Iran war is on an Israeli leash

The accusation followed a Channel 12 report that Netanyahu and military chief Eyal Zamir had clashed over a proposed operation that risked provoking a confrontation with Iran shortly before Israel’s election. The top general is said to have balked Netanyahu’s order fearing it could set off a sudden confrontation with Iran two days before Tuesday’s election.

Other opposition figures also accused Netanyahu of putting his political survival ahead of public safety. Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot warned against turning the army into an instrument of Netanyahu’s election campaign, while Yair Lapid alleged that the prime minister wanted an escalation with Iran to postpone the vote. 

Netanyahu denied clashing with Zamir. Defence Minister Israel Katz also rejected the reports, saying there had been no intention to initiate an attack on Iran before the election and insisting that military and political leaders were working in full coordination. 

Netanyahu’s opponents in Israel are now accusing him of pushing for war with Iran to serve his own political interests. Their criticism echoes warnings in Washington that he helped draw the US into war with Tehran — an argument that brought accusations of anti-Semitism against critics including former US counterterrorism chief Joe Kent.

Kent resigned as director of the US National Counterterrorism Center over the war, alleging that Israeli pressure and lobbying pushed the US into another war with Iran. His resignation triggered a public dispute over Israeli influence in Washington.

Reporting on the administration’s deliberations nevertheless documents Netanyahu’s efforts to lure the US into another war in the Middle East. A New York Times investigation described a White House presentation in February in which he argued that a joint assault could cripple Iran’s military and create conditions for the overthrow of its government. Trump was persuaded event though senior US officials questioned central parts of the Israeli assessment. 

READ: Israeli media reports deepening rift between Netanyahu and army chief over Iran preparations ahead of elections