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Israel’s military chief resisted the prime minister, who then pressed in recent days for a separate action, short of an overt strike, according to an official and a person briefed on the matter.

Israeli prime minister increases alarmist rhetoric as his far-right coalition narrowly trails in polls Benjamin Netanyahu has resorted to increasingly alarmist rhetoric and reportedly put pressure on Israel’s military to take action against Iran as his far-right coalition narrowly trails in the polls ahead of Tuesday’s close-run elections. The Israeli prime minister posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear mushroom cloud destroying Tel Aviv, telling Israeli voters to choose him or risk nuclear annihilation. Continue reading...

Israelis are in the final hours of an intense election season amid reports of a clash between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military over Iran.

Israeli voters head to the polls Tuesday in an election that will test whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can survive another political storm amid deep divisions over the October 7 failures, years of war, and military service requirements. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, faces a serious challenge from former Israel Defense Forces Chief of ...

The IDF ordered new restrictions on the West Bank ahead of Israeli elections this week. It’s focused on the city of Hebron, where Palestinian gunmen killed two IDF soldiers Friday. It comes just days before nationwide elections could determine Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future. NBC News’ Matt Bradley reports from Tel Aviv.

The operation, focused on the city of Hebron, the site of Friday's attack, came as Israel enters the final days before a tense election, which is largely seen as a referendum on current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership and security policies during the past three years of war.

Tens of thousands of Israelis living overseas are returning home to vote in Tuesday's parliamentary election, with many hoping to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid growing divisions over the Gaza war, national security, and military conscription.More than 50,000...

PM Benjamin Netanyahu vows ‘to destroy this place’ in retaliation for militant attack on army checkpoint Israeli troops have levelled a neighbourhood in Hebron, driving out hundreds of families in collective punishment for a militant attack on an army checkpoint outside the West Bank city, local Palestinian authorities said. The Hebron municipality estimated that 35 hectares (86 acres) had been destroyed or marked for destruction and about 1,500 people had been evicted from their homes by Saturday afternoon in the district of Ein Deir Baha. The whole city of 250,000 people was sealed off by checkpoints on every point of entry. Continue reading...

Israel's Prime Minister is vowing to launch a major military operation in the West Bank in response to an attack by two Palestinian gunmen on an Israeli military checkpoint that killed two soldiers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's ordered a major military operation in the occupied West Bank after a shooting attack by two Palestinian men that killed two soldiers. CBS News' Dov Lieber and Robert Berger have more.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered preparations Friday for what he described as the country's most extensive military campaign in the West Bank in decades after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers...

Two soldiers and two Palestinians killed in exchange of fire outside Hebron, where Israeli military says it thwarted ‘terror attack’ Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the army to prepare for a “very extensive” operation in the occupied West Bank after two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians were killed in an exchange of fire near a checkpoint in Hebron. The Israeli prime minister said the military would go house to house and demolish homes, in an operation on a scale unseen in the occupied West Bank for decades, after the Israeli military said it had thwarted a “terror attack” by two armed Palestinians on Friday. Tensions are high before next week’s election. Continue reading...

Israel's Netanyahu says he ordered the military to cordon off a major city in the occupied West Bank after an attack by Palestinian gunmen that killed two Israeli soldiers.

Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted a sortie on Monday, flying as far as the Iranian border, according to Israeli and U.S. officials. Why it matters: The operation, more than 800 miles away from Israel, took place a week before the Israeli elections and on the same day Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel's Ovda Air Base. The sortie wasn't connected to Hegseth's visit. While some Israeli and U.S. officials said the sortie wasn't unusual and that it was meant to deter Iran, it could have led to a miscalculation, triggering an Iranian response and reigniting the war. Behind the scenes: The exercise involved dozens of fighter jets and refueling aircraft, the sources said. It followed a flight path consistent with a potential strike against Iran, passing through Syrian and Iraqi airspace. As the aircraft approached the Iranian border, they turned around and returned to Israel, the sources said. The intrigue: U.S. officials said the Israelis knew that Iran's air defense systems would detect the sortie. According to the sources, Israel notified the U.S. in advance and described the operation as a training exercise intended for "power projection" and aimed at deterring Iran from launching attacks against Israel ahead of the elections. However, some U.S. sources said they had the impression that Israel was hoping the Iranians would fire at the aircraft, providing a justification for launching strikes against Iran. Fox News reported on Tuesday that the Israeli Air Force conducted a drill towards Iran. Driving the news: Last week, Axios reported that Netanyahu and President Trump discussed in early October the possibility of launching a major new operation against Iran before the Israeli and U.S. elections. Netanyahu told Trump he was concerned about Israeli intelligence indicating Iran was taking troubling steps to reconstitute its nuclear program. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine at the time that restarting the war in that timeframe could cause the Israeli elections to be postponed, given that Iran would probably retaliate, the sources said. Trump initially seemed to be inclined to resume attacks, but then grew hesitant and eventually decided against Netanyahu's proposal. State of play: An Israeli official said Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir will not allow any unjustified military activity that could undermine the Oct. 27 elections. What he's saying: On Wednesday Netanyahu said at a military graduation ceremony that Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei "has decided to follow in his father's footsteps" and allowed Iranian scientists to move forward with building a nuclear weapon. "He has taken the safety off, and Iran is once again trying to develop its bombs of death," Netanyahu said. "Therefore, there is only one way to eliminate this threat once and for all: to overthrow the regime in Iran. And that is the directive I have given to the IDF, the Mossad and the security agencies," he added.