Netanyahu's reported offer to Trump to strike Iran before elections: reports, denials and exchanges of statements

⏱️ Timeline

1. 13 Oct 2026, 19:20 Former Israeli defense minister Avigdor Liberman said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may launch a military operation against Iran, Hamas or Hezbollah before the elections scheduled for 27 October, accusing him of seeking a military step out of a desire to stay in power, ruling out joining a government the opposition might form after the elections and saying he must go.
2. 13 Oct 2026, 19:30 Axios quoted informed sources as saying Netanyahu offered President Donald Trump a joint military attack on Iran before the Israeli elections, after claims of serious Iranian steps in the nuclear field. Israel's Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu proposed a wide military operation as soon as possible, that Trump initially leaned toward giving the green light but became less enthusiastic, and that the Israeli army and CENTCOM were on alert.
3. 13 Oct 2026, 22:39 Netanyahu's office denied seeking to push Washington into carrying out the attack, while reports cited US officials saying Trump showed readiness for preparations without an actual commitment to carry it out. A White House official denied reports about discussing a resumption of the war, pointing to Trump's pledge not to attack Iran before the midterm elections. Reports also spoke of a split inside the US administration between supporters of a strike and those favoring continued sanctions.
4. 14 Oct 2026, 06:42 At a campaign rally in Alaska, President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran had run out, vowing a harsh strike and saying: "Wait and see what we will do."
5. 14 Oct 2026, 07:31 In an interview on Channel 14, Netanyahu accused Iran of trying to influence the Israeli elections through Hezbollah and Hamas, endorsed reports of a possible attack, said Israel had completed 90% of its mission against Hamas and Hezbollah, attacked the judicial institutions and called for an end to his trial.
6. 14 Oct 2026, 10:40 Yedioth Ahronoth reported an agreement between the United States and Israel that any return to war would be joint rather than unilateral, and that the final decision on returning to war and its timing rests with Trump alone.
7. 14 Oct 2026, 12:50 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would topple Iran and remove Hezbollah within the next two years.
8. 14 Oct 2026, 13:12 President Donald Trump renewed his threats against Iran over acquiring nuclear weapons, vowing a "military lesson", amid intensive contacts with Netanyahu to discuss resuming military operations against Iranian targets. Tehran, in turn, held contacts with Oman over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Revolutionary Guard repositioned its forces, warning of a strong response to any American adventure.
9. 14 Oct 2026, 13:40 Israel's defense minister warned that Hezbollah would receive a harsh blow if it joined Iran in any attack on Israel, and that this would lead to the loss of more territory in southern Lebanon.
10. 14 Oct 2026, 14:35 An Axios report said Washington wanted Israel to carry out the attack on Iran on its own, but Israeli officials warned about postponing the Israeli elections. Western reports indicated that Iran still possesses missile and drone capabilities, which the White House denies.
11. 14 Oct 2026, 14:51 An Israeli military source said Israel would not attack Iran before the elections, that any attack depends on the approval of President Donald Trump, who has not yet decided, and warned of a possible miscalculation that could push Iran to preempt an Israeli attack, as Tel Aviv raised its level of alert.
12. 15 Oct 2026, 22:03 Channel 12 quoted Israeli and US security officials as saying they do not believe current developments in Iran require urgent military action, and that the Israeli security level had not detected any change in Iran that would warrant an attack. Yedioth Ahronoth indicated that Netanyahu and Trump would refrain from attacking Iran before the Israeli and US elections, while the Israeli security establishment saw no urgent military necessity to resume the war before the Knesset elections on 27 October despite the high state of alert.
13. 16 Oct 2026, 08:44 Yossi Yehoshua, military affairs editor at Yedioth Ahronoth, warned that the mutual readiness of Israel and Iran for conflict could lead to a miscalculation igniting a wide war, noting that Netanyahu is not enthusiastic about a military initiative against Iran before the elections and that Trump's decision could be decisive in determining the course of escalation, and assessing that Hezbollah would join any wide campaign.

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