Netanyahu discussed with Eisenkot a possible renewal of the attacks in Iran.
Israel's interim prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, discussed resuming military strikes in Iran during a meeting with prime minister-designate Gadi Eisenkot this week, without informing him that Mossad director Roman Goffman was traveling to Washington at the same time to encourage American officials to resume strikes.
According to Israel's Channel 12, Netanyahu sought to present intelligence on Iran during Thursday's briefing that an informed source claimed "could change his view" regarding the interim prime minister's motives for escalating against Tehran.
However, Eisenkot reportedly remained completely in the dark about Goffman's parallel trip to the US. After the briefing, Eisenkot stated on social media that Netanyahu's interim government requires "strict supervision" to prevent any proposal to "reap a political dividend" from security decisions.
The political friction is developing during a sensitive transition period after the Netanyahu ruling bloc lost its parliamentary majority in the October 27, 2026 Knesset elections, prompting President Yitzhak Herzog to task Eisenkot with forming the next government. Israeli opposition figures have expressed growing alarm that Netanyahu might order new strikes in Iran, or provoke Iranian retaliation, in order to derail Eisenkot's coalition negotiations and cling to power.
In the meantime, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir opposes the launch of an immediate military operation, warns that the army does not see an immediate Iranian threat and warns against dragging Israel into a prolonged war of attrition.
Separately, "Haaretz" reported that Goffman met in Washington with CIA director John Ratcliffe and was supposed to meet White House envoy Steve Witkoff to present intelligence on Iran's nuclear and long-range missile programs in order to overcome the apparent American reluctance to resume full-scale bombing.