Liberman petitions prosecutor to examine Netanyahu for treason

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman asked Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Monday to open a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on suspicion of treason. The move came two days before the October 27 election and follows a report that Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir disagreed on a military operation targeting Iran.

Liberman framed the dispute as a political maneuver. In a Sunday post on X, he argued that the prime minister sought to trigger military action to delay or prevent the vote. He labeled the conduct a betrayal of the state and claimed the chief of staff must prevent the military from serving political ends.

Speaking to 103FM on Monday, Liberman described the prime minister as having gone off the rails. He quoted Netanyahu saying he had destroyed all of Iran's bombs, then questioned why he was dropping bombs on Tel Aviv. Liberman stated that the rift between the military and political leadership is at its highest point because Netanyahu tried to provoke a miscalculation with Iran.

The request does not confirm wrongdoing or guarantee that the prosecutor will open a case. It serves as a formal demand for review. Liberman insisted that any military action capable of leading to war must be debated and decided by the government.

Defense Minister Israel Katz rejected the accusations. He stated that coordination among the prime minister, himself, and the IDF has been complete since he took office. Katz said Israel had no intention of initiating an attack on Iran before the elections and called reports to the contrary entirely false.

Katz accused opposition figures of exploiting the reports to attack the prime minister and himself. He said the government cannot address the details of the Iranian issue at this time. He called the opposition effort shameful and irresponsible, adding that the government would overcome the challenge.

The N12 report detailed the clash between Netanyahu and Zamir. The proposed operation risked a confrontation with Iran. The dispute occurred just 48 hours before citizens cast their ballots.