Bibi denies reports about escalation with Iran in last day before polls

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israelis entered the final 24 hours of campaigning on Monday amid a report that PM Benjamin Netanyahu clashed with the military chief of staff over an instruction for an “action” that the army feared could reignite conflict with Iran. Netanyahu’s office called the Channel 12 report “fake news.” Defence minister Israel Katz said Israel had not intended to initiate an attack on Iran before Israel’s election and called reports of political-military rifts baseless. He said Israel would respond forcefully if Iran attacked first.Opposition candidates accused Netanyahu of endangering regional stability. His main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, warned him not to “dare to place your own political interests above the security of the state”.Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman asked Israel’s attorney general Monday to probe possible treason over Netanyahu’s alleged attempts to drag Israel into a war before elections.