The New York Times, citing three senior Israeli security officials and three people with knowledge, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed for a new air strike against the Islamic Republic in the weeks leading up to the elections, but was opposed by Eyal Zamir, the army's chief of staff. According to the newspaper, Netanyahu's reason for pushing for the attack before the elections was not clear, but a return to war could disrupt or delay the vote. The New York Times wrote that Zamir concluded that there was no immediate need for action; An assessment that made it difficult to describe the timing of the attack as a military necessity. Originally, Zamir was not against taking action against the Islamic Republic, but he balked at doing so before the election. The newspaper also reported that Zamir had begun to worry in recent days that Netanyahu was pushing for action at a lower level than an open attack. The nature of this action has not been determined, but Zamir believed it might provoke the Islamic Republic to attack Israel. The IDF announced that its operational decisions are made solely based on "security considerations". Netanyahu's office did not respond.
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