The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that political and security sources fear outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may seek to delay Avigdor Lieberman’s appointment as chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, potentially using the intervening period to launch military action against Iran.
Maariv quoted political and security officials as expressing concern that Netanyahu could order a swift military operation within the next five days, before the committee convenes under its new chairman, Avigdor Lieberman.
According to political sources cited by the newspaper, Netanyahu insisted on his position and postponed Lieberman’s assumption of the committee chairmanship until Monday. The delay has raised questions about the reasons behind his insistence and whether it is an attempt to carry out what the sources described as a “security coup.”
The newspaper added that political and security circles are increasingly concerned over Netanyahu’s attempt to temporarily prevent Lieberman from taking over the committee, noting that no parliamentary body is currently overseeing the government and the security establishment.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Netanyahu is exerting pressure to prevent the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee from convening in the coming days. The committee is responsible for monitoring the activities of security agencies and requires their chiefs to submit reports and answer questions from its members.
Meanwhile, Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a senior official from Israel’s opposition Change Bloc as saying Netanyahu had “lost his mind,” warning that he was seeking to “drag Israel into a war at any cost” in order to use up the remaining days of the mandate given to Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot to form a government.
In a related development, Maariv reported that Eisenkot had requested an immediate security briefing from Netanyahu, amid the failure of the security cabinet to convene for nearly a month.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister-designate Gadi Eisenkot warned Netanyahu against making security or military decisions during the transitional period, urging him to act responsibly and avoid steps that could have catastrophic consequences.
In a post on the social media platform X, Eisenkot called for restraint and urged Netanyahu to refrain from taking dangerous decisions that could be postponed until a new government enjoying the confidence of the Knesset is formed.
He said Israel was facing a difficult and volatile security situation, pointing to what he described as “extremely troubling” reports in recent weeks concerning the influence of irrelevant considerations on decisions related to Israel’s security.
