Netanyahu said enemies planning attack before Oct polls, opposition dismissed it

A day before Wednesday’s Tel Aviv-bound flydubai incident, in which a bloodied altercation between the pilot and co-pilot sparked fears of a hijacking, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that “enemies” could try to attack before the October 27 election, The Times of Israel reported. The warning prompted opposition figures to demand an immediate briefing on the threat and raised questions over whether it could affect the upcoming elections.

The Israeli government has not ruled out the possibility of a “terror attack” in connection with today's incident, Reuters reported, citing two Israeli officials. The flight, carrying around 180 passengers, the majority of them Israeli citizens, diverted to Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals. According to the two officials, the incident may have been an attempted “terror attack” by one of the pilots.

The sequence of events came nearly a day after Netanyahu, speaking from Tel Nof, the Israeli Air Force’s oldest and main base, on Tuesday, said in a video message: “We have indications that, ahead of the elections, our enemies will try to attack us.”

“So from here, from the Air Force base, from the long arm of Israel, I am sending you a message: Don’t mess with us -- not now, and not ever. Our long arm will reach you anywhere and at any time.”

However, Netanyahu stopped short of providing any details about the threat or the “indications” he referred to while issuing the warning.

Later on Tuesday night, Netanyahu met Opposition Leader Yair Lapid for a security briefing. After the meeting, Lapid said there was “no reason to panic” the public and criticised Netanyahu for releasing what he described as an election video, The Times of Israel reported.

Netanyahu’s statement came as Israel heads to the polls on October 27, with recent surveys showing a closely contested race. A Times of Israel poll published last week put the pro- and anti-Netanyahu blocs level at 53 seats each, while a Kan poll on September 28 showed them tied at 52 seats each.

At the same time, the Israeli military had ruled out any specific threat indicating that any of Israel’s enemies were planning to attack before the election, according to security sources cited by Kan News, Haaretz and Army Radio.

The reports said the military had neither raised its alert level nor mobilised additional troops in any sector.ISRAEL'S OPPOSITION DEMANDS CLARITY ON THREAT

Soon after Netanyahu published the video, Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party called on him to brief Lapid on any new security threats.

“If Netanyahu’s statements regarding the security threats are correct, this requires an immediate update to Opposition Leader Yair Lapid,” the party said on X.

It added that such a meeting was needed “to ensure that it is indeed a genuine threat and not a political manoeuvre intended to harm the election.”

Lapid then said he had asked Netanyahu for an emergency security update. “I request to understand if the threats are real, and if so, how the prime minister is preparing to ensure the election will take place without disruptions,” he wrote on X.

Lapid said that once the prime minister of a democratic country publicly states that there is a threat that could disrupt an election, all relevant parties must be fully briefed on the threat and the steps being taken to ensure the electoral process proceeds as planned.

He therefore demanded that Netanyahu promptly hold a four-way discussion involving Netanyahu, Lapid, the Shin Bet chief and the Central Elections Committee chairman, so that “everyone is updated and coordinated ahead of the election.”

After the security briefing on Tuesday night, Lapid told the Israeli media: “There’s no reason to put the public in a panic.”

“Security threats are something that must be handled professionally and responsibly. Israel’s security and IDF bases are not the setting for election videos,” he added, referring to Netanyahu’s recording at Tel Nof.

In a separate statement, Netanyahu’s Likud party hit back at Lapid, saying he left the meeting at 11.39 pm and “just two minutes later, at record speed, he published a lengthy statement consisting entirely of a political attack on the prime minister.”

“Either he writes at the speed of light, or the statement was prepared in advance, regardless of the briefing that was presented to him,” the party said.- Ends