Israeli opposition leaders accuse Netanyahu of spreading ‘terror, panic’ ahead of election

Two Israeli opposition leaders accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday of spreading “terror” and “panic” among Israelis ahead of the country’s parliamentary election.

Netanyahu posted an artificial intelligence-generated image early Sunday depicting a nuclear explosion in Tel Aviv, accompanied by a warning about the threat of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons and a call to continue confronting Tehran during the remainder of US President Donald Trump’s term.

Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli army chief and leader of the Yashar party, accused Netanyahu of hysteria and resorting to the same tactics he used in previous election campaigns: “lies and spreading fear.”

“This time, you are threatening Israeli citizens with total destruction, after failing to achieve the goals of the war in Iran,” Eisenkot wrote on the US social media platform X.

He added that Netanyahu had shifted from promising “absolute victory” to the slogan “We will not surrender.”

“That is the whole story,” he said.

Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, also criticized Netanyahu in a post on X.

“The prime minister of Israel posted a picture of an atomic bomb over Tel Aviv,” Golan wrote.

He called for the Israeli premier to be barred from social media, saying Netanyahu and those around him had “lost their minds” as pressure mounted.

“On Tuesday, we will replace those spreading panic and restore security and rationality to Israel,” Golan added.

The exchanges came two days before Israel’s parliamentary election, scheduled for Oct. 27, amid a tight competition between Netanyahu’s political camp and opposition parties seeking to end his rule.

Netanyahu has focused much of his recent campaign on security threats, particularly Iran’s nuclear program, while opposition figures have accused him of exploiting those concerns for political gains.

On Wednesday, Eisenkot said Netanyahu’s claim that he had destroyed Iranian nuclear bombs and saved Israel was “an outright lie,” adding that “Iran has never possessed nuclear bombs.”

In an interview with Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, Eisenkot also said he did not see an immediate and direct threat that would justify launching a military attack on Iran ahead of the election.

Netanyahu has led a far-right government since late 2022, widely described as the most right-wing in Israel’s history.