48 hours before vote, Liberman demands treason probe into Netanyahu

Avigdor Liberman asked Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara on Monday to open a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for suspected treason, a move that lands just two days before the national election scheduled for October 27.

The demand stems from a Sunday report by N12 television, which detailed a sharp disagreement between Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir. The two leaders reportedly clashed over a proposed military operation that could have triggered a direct confrontation with Iran. Liberman argued that Netanyahu sought to escalate military action to disrupt the upcoming vote.

In a post on X, Liberman labeled the alleged conduct a betrayal of the state. He contended that the chief of staff has a duty to prevent the military from serving political ends and to shield soldiers from avoidable risks. Liberman told 103FM radio that he would formally petition the attorney-general. "The man has gone off the rails," Liberman said. "One day he's preparing a crypto bomb for us, and the next day an atomic bomb. He just said he had destroyed all of Iran's bombs, and now he's dropping bombs on Tel Aviv?"

Liberman described the relationship between the military and political leadership as the most strained in history, attributing the tension to Netanyahu's attempts to provoke a miscalculation with Iran. He maintained that any action risking a large-scale war requires a government decision. He noted that the chief of staff possesses the strength to enforce legal standards in this process.

Defense Minister Israel Katz rejected the allegations in a statement, asserting that there was no strain between the IDF and the political leadership. Katz said coordination on the Iran issue has been complete since his appointment and cited historic security achievements. He stated unequivocally that Israel had no intention of initiating an attack on Iran before the elections concluded. Katz called reports of a pre-election strike entirely false and accused opposition figures of exploiting the situation to undermine the government's judgment.

Katz described the opposition's effort as shamefully irresponsible, noting that the government cannot disclose details of the Iranian issue due to understandable reasons. He concluded that the administration would overcome the challenge.

The petition does not confirm wrongdoing or guarantee an investigation. The election is set for Sunday, October 27.