Netanyahu warns Israelis of ‘existential threat’ from Iran, posts AI image of nuclear strike

Two days before the October 27 parliamentary election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared a warning by right-wing political commentator Yuval Bloomberg that electing a leader incapable of confronting Iran could expose Israelis to the danger of a “second Holocaust” and posted an AI-generated image depicting a nuclear explosion in Tel Aviv.

“The State of Israel is in real and tangible existential danger,” Netanyahu said in a post on X.

“If the Iranians obtain nuclear weapons, nothing else will matter anymore,” the post read, arguing that the controversies surrounding the government, including the Qatargate affair and ultra-Orthodox draft evasion, are “one giant smokescreen designed to conceal the one issue that towers above all others.”

Netanyahu suggested that domestic political disputes should not distract the country from the Iranian nuclear threat.

“If two atomic bombs were to fall on central Israel, who would care about all these meaningless controversies?” he asked.

Netanyahu argues that Israel has a limited window of opportunity to confront Iran while US President Donald Trump remains in office, warning that future generations “will not forgive us if we miss this historic window of opportunity.”

‘Danger of a second Holocaust’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also warned Israeli voters that they risk exposing their families to “the danger of a second Holocaust” if they elect a leader incapable of confronting Iran.

Critics had recently accused Netanyahu of pushing for a renewal of the war against Iran to influence or delay the October 27 vote, but he denied the charge.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reportedly said during a recent private meeting that he did not see an operational need to strike Iran before the election.

‘Hysterical, fearmongering ahead of election,’ says Eisenkot

Reacting to the post, Yashar chairman, Gadi Eisenkot, lashed out at Netanyahu, accusing him of fearmongering ahead of the election.

“Netanyahu, you’re hysterical,” Eisenkot wrote on X. “As in every election campaign, it’s the same method of lies and scare tactics. This time, threatening Israeli citizens with mass destruction. And this is after you failed to achieve the objectives of the war in Iran.”

“You’ve failed. And in two days, the people of Israel will show you that at the ballot box,” he says.

Democrats chairman Yair Golan also responded to Netanyahu’s post and wrote on X, “Update: The prime minister of Israel has published an image of an atomic bomb over Tel Aviv.”

“I ask that he be kept away from social media. The man and those around him have lost it. The pressure is mounting,” Golan said.

“On Tuesday, we will replace those who sow panic and restore security and sanity to Israel,” he adds.

Will Trump’s successor extend same support?

Blumberg has questioned what might happen after Trump leaves office in 2028 and whether his successor would extend the same level of support.

Blumberg claimed that Iran’s acquisition of atomic weapons would overshadow all other political disputes and described controversies as distractions from the most pressing security challenge.

Trump has already endorsed Netanyahu’s re-election bid, reinforcing the Israeli prime minister’s argument that their partnership is important to confronting Iran.