‘Not seeking to attack Iran again before Israel elections,’ says Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he has no plans to go for a preemptive strike against Iran before the October 27 elections in the country but strictly warned Tehran and its proxies against ‌striking Israel. Israel and Iran have not traded fire since June.

“It is not convenient for us, it’s no good,” Netanyahu said in an interview on Israel’s Army Radio when asked about the possibility of a preemptive strike and allegations by his political rivals that he was seeking a military confrontation ahead of the election.

“They will blame me even if Iran fires missiles at us,” Netanyahu said, but he again warned Iran, ⁠saying Israel would respond forcefully if attacked.

Netanyahu did not elaborate on the possibility of a preemptive strike after the election. He also did not share details of his recent discussions with Washington about Iran.

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The United States and Iran have been at war since February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran, and Tehran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states.

‘Many countries in the Middle East are turning to us following…’

On being asked whether Israel was assisting Saudi Arabia against attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis, Netanyahu said, “I can only tell you that many countries in the Middle East are turning to us following our massive ‌success ⁠and tremendous achievements.”

Saudi Arabia is witnessing escalation in Houthi strikes over the past week, including an attack on Riyadh airport on Saturday that killed 13 people.

Netanyahu said Iran’s proxies were also looking to launch attacks on Israel before the election.

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Defence Minister Katz warns ⁠Hezbollah against attacking Israel

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Iran-backed Lebanese group ⁠Hezbollah against attacking Israel.

“Hezbollah will suffer a severe blow and lose additional territories in southern Lebanon within the Nabatieh and Litani regions, which will become part of Israel’s permanent security zone,” he said.

Katz added that a million Shi’ites would be displaced and that Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut would not be spared.

Israel launched air strikes and a ground invasion in southern Lebanon this year ⁠in parallel with the war in Iran, after Hezbollah fired into Israel in revenge for the attacks against Tehran.