Israeli minister denies pre-election Iran strike plans amid West Bank lockdown

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has rejected media reports claiming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought a military strike against Iran prior to the upcoming parliamentary election. Katz declared that Israel "at no point intended to initiate an attack on Iran" before polls open. The denial followed a report by broadcaster Channel 12 alleging an "unprecedented confrontation" between Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over proposed pre-election military action.

Concurrently, Netanyahu instructed the military to prepare a complete lockdown of the West Bank following a shooting attack in Hebron that left several people injured. The security escalation and reported leadership tensions occur as Netanyahu campaigns for re-election in a closely contested vote, keeping national security at the forefront of the political debate.

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