Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was not considering a preemptive strike on Iran ahead of Israel's October 27 parliamentary elections. However, he warned Tehran and its allies against launching attacks on Israel, Reuters reported, citing BTA.
“This is not an option for us, we are not considering it“, Netanyahu said in an interview with Israeli military radio. He was responding to a question about a possible pre-emptive strike and allegations by his political opponents that he was seeking a military confrontation before the election.
“Even if Iran fires missiles at us, they will blame me again“, the Israeli prime minister said. He also repeated his previous warnings that Israel would respond firmly if attacked.
Netanyahu declined to give further details about a possible pre-emptive operation after the election, as well as about his recent talks with Washington on Iran.
The United States and Iran have been at war since February 28, when Washington and Tel Aviv attacked Tehran, and Iran responded with strikes against Israel and Persian Gulf states, Reuters recalls. The two countries have not exchanged fire since June.
When asked if Israel was providing military assistance to Saudi Arabia in its campaign against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Netanyahu declined to elaborate.
"I don't want to go into this matter. I can only tell you that many countries in the Middle East are turning to us, following our great successes and significant achievements," he said.
Netanyahu also said that Iran-linked groups were preparing attacks on Israel ahead of the parliamentary elections, Reuters reported.