Rival says Israel PM Netanyahu ‘fear-mongering’ over warning of pre-vote attack
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Rival → say → attack
Israel’s opposition chief early on Sept 30 accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fear-mongering after he alleged that enemies may attack before Oct 27 elections.
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enemies → accuse → elections
Netanyahu, who polls show is in a close race to hold on to power, has issued warnings in recent weeks to Iran, the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah and even the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, vowing retaliation in case of an attack.
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polls → show → attack
Israel has kept striking Gaza and Lebanon, and Netanyahu has also stepped up his tone against the leaders of Turkey, Syria and Qatar.
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Netanyahu → strike → Turkey
Parliamentary opposition leader Yair Lapid requested an urgent security briefing after Netanyahu alleged a potential attack, in a video the right-wing prime minister made on Sept 29 in front of a fighter-jet at a base.
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minister → request → base
Lapid, speaking after the late-night meeting with Netanyahu, said he was certain elections will take place on time and that “there is no reason to panic the public”.
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elections → speak → public
He again accused Netanyahu of failing to heed warnings of the Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023 – the deadliest ever against Israel, which has responded with a massive military campaign in Gaza.
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which → accuse → Gaza
“Netanyahu ignored every warning before Oct 7 and now, 28 days before the election, he’s suddenly busy fear-mongering,” Lapid said.
“I of course will not violate the confidentiality of the security briefing but it must be said – security threats must be handled professionally and responsibly,” Lapid said.
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Lapid → ignore → briefing
Israeli military bases “are not the setting for election videos”, Lapid said.
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Lapid → say → videos
Lapid, a centrist former prime minister, is one of a number of opposition players in the election, with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot emerging as Netanyahu’s most formidable rival.
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Eisenkot → emerge → rival
Netanyahu’s office said he provided the briefing alongside military leaders to Lapid soon after the opposition leader has requested it in response to Netanyahu’s remarks.
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leader → say → remarks
“During the intelligence update, alerts of possible attacks on the various fronts ahead of the elections were presented in detail,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
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office → present → statement
In his video earlier on Sept 29, Netanyahu said: “We have indications that ahead of the elections our enemies will try to attack us.”
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enemies → say → us
“I am sending you a message: Don’t mess with us, not now and not ever.
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I → send → us
Our long arm will reach you anywhere, anytime,” Netanyahu said.
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Netanyahu → reach → you
Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in late February launched a war on Iran, which retaliated with weeks of missile and drone attacks against Israel.
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which → launch → Israel
Iran and Israel have not struck each other since April even as a ceasefire that Tehran’s clerical government reached with Washington crumbles elsewhere in the region.
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government → strike → region
Separately, Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a video statement threatening leaders of Hamas based outside Gaza, after the military said it had killed a commander in the north of the territory overnight.
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it → issue → territory
None of these despicable murderers, who played a central role in the October 7 massacre, should die peacefully in their beds,” Katz said.
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Katz → play → beds
“Once, they were spared because of a mishap – but the next time will come, and they too will be sent to the depths of hell,” he added, in an apparent reference to an Israeli airstrike against a gathering of top Hamas leaders in Qatar in September 2025.
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he → spar → September
The strike in Doha killed a Qatari security officer and five Hamas members, but none of the group’s top officials.
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strike → kill → officials
It also angered the Trump administration, which has close ties with Qatar and moved to secure a Gaza ceasefire announcement that has reduced but not ended Israeli strikes.
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that → anger → strikes
The Aporia
