Liberman demands treason probe of Netanyahu

With the national election scheduled for Tuesday, a formal request for a criminal inquiry into the Prime Minister has been submitted to the top legal authority in the state. On Monday, Avigdor Liberman, the chairman of Yisrael Beytenu, asked Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara to open a treason investigation against Benjamin Netanyahu. The request signals a suspicion of wrongdoing but does not confirm that an investigation has begun.

The move follows a Sunday report by N12 television. The broadcast detailed a clash between the Prime Minister and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir. The two leaders reportedly disagreed on a proposed military operation that risked sparking a direct confrontation with Iran. This dispute emerged just two days before the October 27 vote.

Liberman outlined his reasoning in a post on X on Sunday. He argued that the Prime Minister sought to trigger military action to halt the election process. Liberman described this alleged behavior as a betrayal of the state's security. He maintained that the Chief of Staff has a duty to prevent the military from serving political ends and to shield soldiers from unnecessary danger.

In an interview with 103FM on Monday, Liberman detailed his approach to the Attorney-General. "The man has gone off the rails," he said. "One day he's preparing a crypto bomb for us, and the next day an atomic bomb. He just said he had destroyed all of Iran's bombs, and now he's dropping bombs on Tel Aviv?" He added that tensions between the military and political leadership have never been higher. He attributed the strain to Netanyahu's attempt to provoke a miscalculation with Iran.

Liberman stated that the Chief of Staff is strong enough to insist on the rule of law. In his view, any action that could lead to war requires a formal government decision.

Defense Minister Israel Katz rejected the accusations. He stated that there is no strain between the IDF and the political leadership. Katz claimed that coordination on the Iran issue has been complete since he took office. He said Israel had no intention of starting an attack before the election. He noted that the government would respond with force if Iran attacked first, and he called reports of a pre-election strike false.

Katz accused opposition figures of using the reports to attack the Prime Minister and himself. He described the effort as shamefully irresponsible. "We will overcome this too," Katz said.