On September 30, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what he called "fear-mongering" following Netanyahu’s warning that enemies might attack before Israel's October 27 elections. Lapid requested an urgent security briefing and later stated there was no reason to panic the public about potential threats. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened Hamas leaders abroad after a military operation in Gaza.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-30,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 29, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a cryptic video warning of an unspecified "attack" from enemies before the national election scheduled for October 27. Speaking in Hebrew at Tel Nof Air Force Base, Netanyahu warned against such threats but did not specify who was behind them or what form the attack might take.
This vague warning has raised skepticism among his political rivals, including Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition Yesh Atid party. Lapid, after requesting and receiving an urgent security briefing from Netanyahu on September 30, accused the prime minister of "fear-mongering." He argued that elections would proceed as planned without any reason for public panic.
Lapid also criticized Netanyahu for ignoring warnings before Hamas's October 7 attack last year, which was one of the deadliest ever against Israel. This incident highlights concerns about Netanyahu’s handling of security threats and his motives in issuing this latest warning just weeks ahead of a contentious election.
Written for “Netanyahu Warns Of Attack Before Elec…” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Rival says Israel PM Netanyahu ‘fear-mongering’ over warning of pre-vote attack
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Rival → say → attack
Israel’s opposition chief early on Sept 30 accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fear-mongering after he alleged that enemies may attack before Oct 27 elections.
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enemies → accuse → elections
Netanyahu, who polls show is in a close race to hold on to power, has issued warnings in recent weeks to Iran, the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah and even the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, vowing retaliation in case of an attack.
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polls → show → attack
Israel has kept striking Gaza and Lebanon, and Netanyahu has also stepped up his tone against the leaders of Turkey, Syria and Qatar.
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Netanyahu → strike → Turkey
Parliamentary opposition leader Yair Lapid requested an urgent security briefing after Netanyahu alleged a potential attack, in a video the right-wing prime minister made on Sept 29 in front of a fighter-jet at a base.
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minister → request → base
Lapid, speaking after the late-night meeting with Netanyahu, said he was certain elections will take place on time and that “there is no reason to panic the public”.
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elections → speak → public
He again accused Netanyahu of failing to heed warnings of the Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023 – the deadliest ever against Israel, which has responded with a massive military campaign in Gaza.
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which → accuse → Gaza
“Netanyahu ignored every warning before Oct 7 and now, 28 days before the election, he’s suddenly busy fear-mongering,” Lapid said.
“I of course will not violate the confidentiality of the security briefing but it must be said – security threats must be handled professionally and responsibly,” Lapid said.
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Lapid → ignore → briefing
Israeli military bases “are not the setting for election videos”, Lapid said.
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Lapid → say → videos
Lapid, a centrist former prime minister, is one of a number of opposition players in the election, with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot emerging as Netanyahu’s most formidable rival.
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Eisenkot → emerge → rival
Netanyahu’s office said he provided the briefing alongside military leaders to Lapid soon after the opposition leader has requested it in response to Netanyahu’s remarks.
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leader → say → remarks
“During the intelligence update, alerts of possible attacks on the various fronts ahead of the elections were presented in detail,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
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office → present → statement
In his video earlier on Sept 29, Netanyahu said: “We have indications that ahead of the elections our enemies will try to attack us.”
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enemies → say → us
“I am sending you a message: Don’t mess with us, not now and not ever.
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I → send → us
Our long arm will reach you anywhere, anytime,” Netanyahu said.
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Netanyahu → reach → you
Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in late February launched a war on Iran, which retaliated with weeks of missile and drone attacks against Israel.
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which → launch → Israel
Iran and Israel have not struck each other since April even as a ceasefire that Tehran’s clerical government reached with Washington crumbles elsewhere in the region.
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government → strike → region
Separately, Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a video statement threatening leaders of Hamas based outside Gaza, after the military said it had killed a commander in the north of the territory overnight.
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it → issue → territory
None of these despicable murderers, who played a central role in the October 7 massacre, should die peacefully in their beds,” Katz said.
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Katz → play → beds
“Once, they were spared because of a mishap – but the next time will come, and they too will be sent to the depths of hell,” he added, in an apparent reference to an Israeli airstrike against a gathering of top Hamas leaders in Qatar in September 2025.
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he → spar → September
The strike in Doha killed a Qatari security officer and five Hamas members, but none of the group’s top officials.
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strike → kill → officials
It also angered the Trump administration, which has close ties with Qatar and moved to secure a Gaza ceasefire announcement that has reduced but not ended Israeli strikes.
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that → anger → strikes
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