WorldPosted at: Oct 23 2026 6:26PM


Israeli military chief dismisses need for military action on Iran pre-Knesset elections

Jerusalem, Oct 23 (UNI) Israeli military chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, does not currently see an operational need to strike Iran before Israel's October 27 Knesset election, Channel 13 reported on Thursday, amid renewed concerns over a possible resumption of the war.
"We do not see any indications of a need to strike Iran before the election. If we determine that a strike on Iran is necessary, we will carry it out," Zamir was quoted as saying during a recent private meeting.
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party and a main rival to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed a similar view earlier on Thursday. "There is no direct, immediate threat from Iran that necessitates a war prior to the election," he told Channel 13.
Netanyahu has faced accusations from critics that he is pushing to resume the war against Iran to influence or delay the Israeli election, a charge he has denied.
Separately, seven oil tankers caught fire or were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz overnight after being struck by Iran or hitting naval mines, Iranian state television reported on Thursday.
The report cited Iran's IRGC Navy, which renewed threats to target US military bases in the region if Washington continued helping commercial vessels navigate the strait. No casualties were reported.
The latest reported incidents come amid a rise in attacks on commercial shipping. October has seen the highest number of reported attacks since March, during the opening weeks of the war, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
The UKMTO did not report the latest incidents and has noted that some shipping operators have become increasingly reluctant to report attacks.
Oil producers have managed to keep crude supplies moving despite the disruption, experts say, but at an increasing cost.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said on Wednesday that Tehran remained open to diplomacy while preparing to defend itself. Iran has also warned that it has drawn military lessons from the conflict, which began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28.
In recent days, Tehran has indicated that potential targets could extend to infrastructure such as undersea cables and data centres.
Washington is reinforcing its military presence in the region, deploying a third aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops. The reinforcements are joining what has been described as the largest concentration of US warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades.
Mediators have continued efforts to bring the US and Iran back to formal negotiations. Tehran has proposed ending the war and fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz within a week, provided Washington agrees to conditions including lifting its blockade of Iranian ports, easing restrictions on Iranian oil exports, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending hostilities on all fronts.
A similar agreement reached in June collapsed within days. US President Donald Trump rejected Iran's latest seven-day proposal in late September, although both sides have acknowledged that indirect discussions have continued.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing US officials and others briefed on the matter, that Washington and Jerusalem had drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran post the November 3 US midterm elections. The report said the two countries had increased military exercises ahead of a possible "short but intensive operation", including Israeli flyovers near Iran designed to simulate strike manoeuvres.
Potential targets reportedly include Iranian nuclear facilities, energy infrastructure and missile and drone arsenals.
Recent reports have suggested that Netanyahu is keen to resume strikes but has been restrained by Trump, who has indicated a preference to wait until after the US midterms.
Netanyahu on Thursday had dismissed reports of discussions about renewed attacks as "incorrect" and declined to disclose details of his conversations with Trump.
On October 9, Trump said the US would not strike Iran before the American elections. A separate report said Zamir had warned US generals that an attack in the coming weeks could force Israel to postpone its October 27 election, as Iran would likely retaliate with a massive missile barrage against Israel.
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see more..