Security officials said they would not be drawn into action without a clear operational and military need.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has requested an in-depth discussion and signed legal authorization from Israel’s political leadership before carrying out a directive that could lead to a rapid confrontation with Iran, N12 reported Sunday.
Zamir received the directive in recent days but sought further discussion before proceeding, along with legal documentation and signatures from political leaders approving the action.
A senior security official said the proposed operation could lead to a rapid confrontation with Iran at a sensitive time and result in a miscalculation.
Sources familiar with the details said military officials are concerned that the political leadership could seek to capitalize politically on the Iranian issue ahead of the election.
Political officials rejected the allegation as “an outright lie.”
The dispute between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Zamir was also apparent during a discussion at Palmachim on Sunday, according to two sources who described the atmosphere as highly strained.
Netanyahu denied any confrontation with Zamir over Iran.
“There is no confrontation,” Netanyahu said. “Someone is trying to obscure the fact that the chief of staff himself said that Iran is trying to interfere in the elections.”
N12 reported on Oct. 13 that Netanyahu discussed the possibility of renewed strikes on Iran with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Senior American officials said they believed Netanyahu wanted to act before the election, while a senior Israeli official said Netanyahu told security chiefs that Trump initiated the discussion.
Three days later, N12 reported that Israel’s security establishment had not identified a change in Iran’s conduct requiring urgent military action.
Security officials said they would not be drawn into action without a clear operational and military need.
They also warned that statements about an approaching war could be interpreted in Tehran as preparations for an attack and lead Iran to act first.
