Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that it would not be “convenient” for Israel to attack Iran before the upcoming Knesset elections in Israel, which are scheduled for October 27.
Netanyahu was asked during an interview on Israel’s Army Radio about the possibility of striking Iran before the elections and allegations from his political opponents that he was seeking a military escalation before the vote. “It is not convenient for us, it’s no good,” he replied, according to Reuters.
The comments came after Axios reported that Netanyahu and President Trump have discussed the possibility of launching major attacks against Iran before both the Knesset elections and the November 3 US midterms.
Trump has also publicly said he doesn’t intend to attack Iran before the US elections, but the US and Israel have engaged in deception campaigns before major escalations against Iran to keep Iranian leadership off guard, meaning that the statements from the two leaders do not rule out the possibility of strikes in the coming days or weeks.
Any escalation would likely hurt the Republicans, as it would spike gas prices in the US while Netanyahu and his coalition could benefit, something a US official speaking to Axios appeared to acknowledge. “Bibi’s got an election before the midterms. He believes his strength is being a wartime prime minister,” the official said.
In the meantime, the US continues to enforce a blockade against Iran, and Iranian forces have dramatically stepped up attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials have also made clear that they are preparing for another US-Israeli attack while not ruling out diplomacy.
