People walk past a Likud party campaign billboard featuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside opposition party leaders and bearing the Hebrew slogan “Right or Palestine,” ahead of Israel’s general election, in Beni Brak, on October 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran and its allies might try to disrupt Tuesday’s (October 27, 2026) Israeli elections, warning the Islamic Republic against any hostile acts.
Mr. Netanyahu has campaigned heavily on his security credentials, touting the war he launched against Iran in February alongside the United States and suggesting that he alone can see it through. “We have intelligence signs that our enemies, Iran and its proxies, could challenge us with attacks in order to disrupt the elections,” he said in a video released by his office on Sunday.
“Don’t test us. You will suffer disproportionate blows,” he added, noting the military was ready for both defensive and offensive operations.
Earlier in the day, the PM posted an AI-generated image of a mushroom cloud engulfing Tel Aviv, alongside text attributed to a right-wing political commentator calling Iran an existential threat and arguing that all the other issues discussed this election season were trivial in comparison.
Gadi Eisenkot | Netanyahu’s challenger
Mr. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has focused heavily on hawkish national security statements in the final days of the campaign.
Earlier in the week, he said he had sent a directive to Israel’s security forces to topple Iran’s clerical state. A day earlier, he posted a video of himself in front of a fighter jet speaking to U.S. President Donald Trump by phone saying they would “finish the job” together.
Published – October 25, 2026 10:10 pm IST
