Israel denies pre-election Iran strike plans amid reported leadership rift

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz dismissed media reports that the government intended to launch a military attack against Iran prior to Tuesday's parliamentary elections. The denial followed reports by Israeli media of an "unprecedented confrontation" between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over proposed military actions linked to Tehran.

Opposition politician Yair Golan publicly warned against entering a conflict under Netanyahu's leadership, asserting that the prime minister lacks the necessary public trust to lead such an operation.

Concurrently, Israeli authorities instructed the military to prepare for a total lockdown of the West Bank. The security measure follows a violent attack near Hebron that injured several people and led to Israeli forces killing two suspects ahead of the vote.

Sources: Der Spiegel, Der Standard, FAZ, ORF, Tagesschau.