Netanyahu’s Power Retention Fuels Escalating Tensions with Iran and Lebanon
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported that unsuccessful attempts to restart a full-scale war with Iran, as well as renewed attacks on Lebanon, are intended to disrupt the Knesset (parliament) election process, with a possibility of its cancellation.
This move by Netanyahu is not unexpected, as recent polls in the occupied territories indicate he has a lower chance of securing the premiership compared to his rival and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Should elections proceed in the coming days, the prime minister’s office would likely go to Bennett.
Furthermore, recent surveys by the Lazar Institute suggest that rival coalitions to Netanyahu, along with the new “Ma’ah” party, have a high probability of defeating the Likud party in the event of elections.
In this context, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak issued a warning, stating that Netanyahu might disrupt the election results or halt the process by declaring a state of emergency if he anticipates defeat in the upcoming October Knesset elections.
Barak described Netanyahu’s current situation as an animal trapped, emphasizing that he is prepared to impose any cost on Israel to escape his judicial and political crises.
Ehud Barak stated, “If Netanyahu is certain of his defeat a few days before the election, he might open a new front against Iran, Gaza, or the West Bank to postpone the elections by six months by declaring a state of emergency.”
He added, “I would not be surprised if, five days before the election, if Netanyahu is not confident of his victory, news emerges of a ‘ticking bomb’ in Iran.” This scenario could lead to a third round of attacks against Iran, a fifth war against Hamas, or the eruption of a third intifada in the West Bank.
Barak further elaborated that the widespread dissemination of fake videos on election eve to deceive public opinion and tarnish the image of political rivals, as well as incidents similar to the attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol building, are other potential tactics Netanyahu might employ. His extremist supporters could potentially attack the vote counting site in Jerusalem, overturn ballot boxes, and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the counting process, thereby paving the way for the cancellation of results.
Barak highlighted Netanyahu’s international legitimacy crisis, noting that many observers believe Netanyahu has cunningly obstructed peace agreements with Lebanon and deliberately caused the collapse of prisoner exchange deals in Gaza to prolong the war for his political survival.
