Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fear-mongering on Wednesday after the premier warned that enemies could strike before the October 27 elections. Netanyahu, locked in a tight race to retain power, has spent recent weeks issuing warnings to Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Palestinian Authority, and the leaders of Turkey, Syria, and Qatar, vowing retaliation for any aggression.
The confrontation escalated after Netanyahu posted a video Tuesday filmed in front of a fighter jet at a military base, declaring, “We have indications that ahead of the elections our enemies will try to attack us.” He added: “Don’t mess with us, not now and not ever. Our long arm will reach you anywhere, anytime.”
Lapid requested an urgent security briefing following the video. Speaking after the late-night meeting, he said he was confident the election would proceed on schedule and that “there is no reason to panic the public.” Lapid, a centrist former prime minister, again criticized Netanyahu for failing to heed warnings before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack — the deadliest in Israel’s history.
“Netanyahu ignored every warning before October 7 and now, 28 days before the election, he’s suddenly busy fear-mongering,” Lapid said. “Security threats must be handled professionally and responsibly. Israeli military bases are not the setting for election videos.”
Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister briefed Lapid alongside military leaders shortly after the request, presenting “alerts of possible attacks on the various fronts ahead of the elections in detail.”
The exchange comes as former military chief Gadi Eisenkot emerges as Netanyahu’s most formidable rival in a crowded opposition field. Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump launched a war on Iran in late February, prompting weeks of Iranian missile and drone strikes. Direct exchanges between Iran and Israel ceased in April, even as a ceasefire brokered by Tehran and Washington unravels elsewhere in the region.
Separately, Defense Minister Israel Katz released a video threatening Hamas leaders based outside Gaza after the military reported killing a commander in northern Gaza overnight. “Hamas leaders abroad are also in the crosshairs,” Katz said. “None of these despicable murderers, who played a central role in the October 7 massacre, should die peacefully in their beds.” He referenced a September 2025 Israeli strike in Doha that killed a Qatari security officer and five Hamas members but missed the group’s top officials — an operation that angered the Trump administration, which maintains close ties with Qatar and has pushed for a Gaza ceasefire that has reduced but not halted Israeli strikes.