Israeli Democrats leader warns Netanyahu could use new attack on Iran to stay in power

Posters of Democrats Party leader Yair Golan (left) and Prime Minister and Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu (right) are seen as election campaigns intensify two days before the vote as campaign posters of candidates are displayed on billboards and buildings across the streets ahead of the Knesset elections scheduled for October 27, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 25, 2026. [Nir Keidar – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli Democrats leader Yair Golan warned Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could exploit a potential new military attack on Iran to remain in power amid political uncertainty following last week’s elections, Anadolu reports.

“The likelihood of another round of fighting with Iran is growing,” Golan wrote on US social media platform X.

“We have reached a point of repeated rounds of fighting with Iran, and this shows just how much Netanyahu has failed,” he added.

His remarks came amid Israeli and US media reports suggesting that Israel and Washington could launch another attack on Iran after the US midterm elections scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Golan said Netanyahu “lacks the moral legitimacy, and even the basic capacity” to manage another conflict with Iran.

He called for the formation of an alternative government, warning that Israel’s security could be endangered under Netanyahu’s leadership.

READ: Trump says US could strike Iran’s remaining nuclear sites in ’10 minutes’

Golan said forming a new government as soon as possible was “of utmost importance, as Israel’s security and the safety of its citizens are at stake.”

The warning came after neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition parties secured enough seats to form a government in last Tuesday’s parliamentary elections.

Preliminary results showed Netanyahu’s bloc winning 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared with 48 for Jewish opposition parties and 19 for Palestinian parties.

The results left all blocs short of the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.

The inconclusive election results have raised several possible scenarios, including a government backed by Palestinian parties, a unity government or another election.

– Netanyahu faces corruption trial, ICC warrants

Netanyahu, 76, faces an ongoing corruption trial involving charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, which could result in imprisonment if he is convicted.

He has also been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians during Israel’s war on Gaza, which began in October 2023.

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