Liberman seeks treason probe for Netanyahu

Avigdor Liberman asked Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara on Monday to open a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for suspected treason. The request came one day before Israel’s general election is scheduled to take place on October 27.

Liberman, who leads the Yisrael Beytenu party, issued the formal request in a statement. The move does not confirm any wrongdoing or guarantee that an investigation will start. It follows a Sunday report by N12 that Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir clashed over a military operation. The planned move risked a direct confrontation with Iran.

The dispute reportedly occurred just two days before the election. In a post on X, Liberman argued that Netanyahu sought to trigger military action to halt the vote. He called the behavior a betrayal of the state and its security. He also stated that the military chief must prevent political use of the armed forces and protect soldiers from unnecessary danger.

On 103FM, Liberman said he had approached the attorney-general to make the request. “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?”

Liberman described military-political relations as the most strained in history. He blamed Netanyahu for trying to provoke a miscalculation with Iran. He argued that any action risking large-scale war requires a government decision, not just a military one. He believes the chief of staff has the strength to enforce that rule.

Defense Minister Israel Katz rejected the claims. He said there was no tension between the IDF and political leadership. Katz stated that coordination with the prime minister and the army has been complete since he took office. He called recent security results historic and denied Israel intended to start an attack on Iran before the election.

Katz said Israel would respond with great force if Iran struck first. He called reports about pre-election attacks entirely false. He accused opposition figures of using the story to challenge the judgment of the government. Katz labeled the effort shameful and said the government would overcome it.