Israeli television station Channel 12 has reported a confrontation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff General Eyal Zamir over military action, one day before Israel's parliamentary election on Tuesday 27 October 2026. The report, carried by ANI on 26 October, cited anonymous sources and gave no details of the instructions said to be at issue, although speculation in the reporting linked them to a possible fresh attack on Iran.

According to the Channel 12 account, Zamir resisted carrying out the military action, sought further deliberations, and asked for signed documentation from Netanyahu about legal authorisation. A military source quoted in the report warned that the action could lead to a flare-up with Iran at a sensitive moment and create a risk of miscalculation. Other unnamed sources quoted in the report said there was concern among military leaders that the Iranian issue could be used for political benefit.

Denial and election context

Netanyahu has dismissed the allegations as nonsense, according to the Times of Israel account cited in the reporting, and has separately said he instructed the IDF and Mossad to work towards toppling the Iranian regime. Pollsters cited in the reports project a dead heat between Netanyahu and his closest rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, ahead of Tuesday's vote, which follows a second endorsement of Netanyahu by US President Donald Trump on Sunday.

The claims remain based on anonymous sourcing and have not been confirmed by an official IDF statement in the reports seen, so the reported clash should be read as an unconfirmed account rather than an established fact about any planned operation.