Nathan Shachar: Netanyahu's generals want to stop an Iran attack before the election

JERUSALEM. Benjamin Netanyahu appeals to Donald Trump for military aid before the Israeli election. He seeks both clarity for attacks against Iran and an explicit signal from Trump to Israeli voters to vote for the prime minister. An excerpt from Dagens Nyheter, 2026-10-17 16:00 Original source of the article: https://www.dn.se/varlden/nathan-shachar-netanyahus-generaler-vill-stoppa-en-iranattack-fore-valet/ Nathan Shachar: Netanyahus generals want to stop an Iran attack before the election Get more from DN as a logged-in user Do you know that you can create a free account on DN? As a logged-in user you can access several smart features. - Follow your interests - Newsletter Last week, Trump escalated his Iran rhetoric and journalists in the US reported that the president and Netanyahu discussed a larger armed attack. This caused Israel's IDF Eyal Zamir to immediately contact Admiral Brad Cooper, who is in charge of the US forces in the region. An attack on Iran, Zamir warned, would mean that the Israeli elections would be postponed to a later, unknown date. Such a scenario, with either postponed elections or elections in the midst of war, is exactly what Netanyahu's rivals at home fear. A source in the White House told Israel's TV12 that "we are aware of Netanyahu's ambitions and his desires before the election." On Thursday, when Trump was asked "Do you trust Netanyahu?", he replied, "I don't trust anyone." The Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has so far been led by experts who have usually refused to be politically exploited. Today, the Mossad chief and his inner circle are all Netanyahu loyalists. If they receive orders to "feed" the US with overly dramatic information about suspected movements around Iran's nuclear facilities, they do so. IDF Zamir, who believes that the Israeli soldiers and equipment are in urgent need of rest, strives to help the US correctly interpret Netanyahu's actions. On Friday evening, he went further than ever, as "high military sources" told Israeli media that "nothing in Iran currently requires immediate military intervention". This is extraordinary in Israel and in democratic countries. The government, not the generals, makes decisions about war and peace. Zamir, who was his military secretary for several years and knows him inside and out, was appointed by the prime minister the previous day. Zamir has proven to be much more independent and less responsive to Netanyahu's political needs than expected – among other things, he was part of the notes when Trump forced a ceasefire in Gaza in November 2025. Netanyahu's explanation is that he is not seeking military conflict, but that "signs indicate that Iran may attack us before the election" – which could force a preventive Israeli counterattack. Opposition leader Yair Lapid has for several weeks accused Netanyahu of trying to stir up panic before the election in order for the Iranian threat to dominate the election campaign, instead of the government's failure on October 7, 2023, which the opposition wants the election to be about. Read more: It was the most beautiful year in their lives – since the settlers moved in More sources confirm that Netanyahu was warned before the October 7 attack