Liberman Seeks Treason Case

Avigdor Liberman requested a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on suspicion of treason on Monday. The Yisrael Beytenu chairman asked Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara to examine the matter, though the petition does not confirm wrongdoing or guarantee an inquiry will begin.

The move followed a Sunday report by N12. The broadcaster stated that Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir clashed over a proposed operation that risked confrontation with Iran. The dispute surfaced just two days before the October 27 election.

On X, Liberman argued that the prime minister sought military action to disrupt the vote. He labeled the conduct a betrayal of the state. He also claimed the chief of staff must prevent the military from serving political ends and protect soldiers from unnecessary risk.

In a Monday interview with 103FM, Liberman detailed his rationale. "The man has gone off the rails," he said. "One day he's preparing a crypto bomb for us, and the next day an atomic bomb. He just said he had destroyed all of Iran's bombs, and now he's dropping bombs on Tel Aviv?" He added that military-political relations are at their most strained point due to perceived efforts to provoke a miscalculation.

Liberman insisted that any action potentially leading to war requires a government decision. He viewed the chief of staff as capable of upholding this legal requirement.

Defense Minister Israel Katz rejected the claims. He stated there is no strain between the IDF and the leadership and that coordination on the Iran issue has been complete since he took office. Katz said Israel did not intend to start an attack before the elections and called reports of a pre-emptive strike entirely false.

Katz accused opposition figures of exploiting the reports to cast doubt on leadership judgment. He described the effort as shameful and irresponsible, noting the government currently cannot discuss Iranian details. He concluded: "We will overcome this too."