📰 11 sources 14 articles · 25 Oct 2026, 17:26 → 18 days ago

Netanyahu warns Iran ahead of Knesset elections; Tehran replies: we don't care who wins

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran and its allies against trying to disrupt the Knesset elections set for Tuesday, 27 October, citing intelligence indications and promising a strong response, during a visit to a "Hetes" battery site. The next day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei responded that the election results do not concern Tehran and described Netanyahu's threats as "hollow."

📍 Where things stand: Statements continue to be exchanged between Netanyahu and Tehran on the eve of the Israeli elections, amid reports of a dispute between the political leadership and the chief of staff that Defense Minister Israel Katz denied.

⏱️ Timeline

25 Oct 2026, 17:26 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Israeli army is ready for both defense and attack, without further details on the context.
25 Oct 2026, 17:36 Speaking at a "Hetes" battery site, Netanyahu said the army is ready for defense and attack, warning Israel's enemies that they will receive harsh strikes stronger than they imagine, and that anyone planning to attack Israel will bear disproportionate strikes.
25 Oct 2026, 17:45 Netanyahu warned Iran and its allies against trying to disrupt the Israeli legislative elections set for Tuesday, saying "don't test us," and affirmed he had intelligence indications that Tehran and its proxies might carry out attacks for that purpose, and that the army is ready for defensive and offensive action.
25 Oct 2026, 18:45 Reports said Netanyahu threatened strong strikes against Iran and its proxies if they carry out attacks aimed at disrupting the Knesset elections set for Tuesday, 27 October; during his visit to a "Hetes" battery site he spoke of possible intelligence indications without details, while he had earlier published an AI-generated image showing a nuclear bomb falling on Tel Aviv.
26 Oct 2026, 11:03 Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei, responding to accusations that Iran might carry out military action to disrupt the Israeli elections, said Tehran does not care who holds leadership in Israel, that its armed forces are ready to defend Iran, and that the election results in Israel do not concern it.
26 Oct 2026, 16:11 Baqaei said the identity of the winner in the elections set for 27 October does not matter to Tehran, at a time when Netanyahu faces intense electoral competition and reports of a dispute with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over a possible military move against Iran — a dispute over which Defense Minister Israel Katz denied any tension between the political leadership and the military establishment.
26 Oct 2026, 18:32 Baqaei described the Israeli elections as a "competition between gangs," said the Israeli entity has brought the region nothing but violence and massacres, called Netanyahu's threats to topple the rule in Tehran "hollow threats" and "a sign of desperation," and affirmed that Iran is "in a state of war" and will not hesitate to defend itself.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

How the sources covered it

Israeli and international coverage focused on Netanyahu's warning to Iran and his intelligence indications on the eve of the elections, while other sources concentrated on the Iranian response and its wording, and on reports of disagreement within the Israeli leadership over a possible military move.

annahar.com It led with Netanyahu's warning to Iran and its allies against disrupting Tuesday's elections, quoted "don't test us" and his intelligence indications, highlighted that his election campaign focused on the war on Iran and security threats, and later carried the Iranian response.
France 24 It focused on the same warning under the headline "don't test us," and noted that the statement came at the end of an election campaign in which Netanyahu focused on the war Israel and the United States launched on Iran in February.
سكاي نيوز عربية It headlined with a "decisive strike," highlighted Netanyahu's visit to a "Hetes" battery site and his talk of intelligence indications without details, and noted he had earlier published an AI-generated image showing a nuclear bomb falling on Tel Aviv, specifying the elections date as Tuesday, 27 October.
العين الإخبارية It emphasized the "intelligence indications" Netanyahu spoke of and the army's readiness for defensive and offensive action, said any attempt would be met with strikes beyond expectations, and linked the statement to the end of an election campaign focused on the Iranian threat.
عين ليبيا It linked Baqaei's statement to the intense electoral competition Netanyahu faces, and highlighted reports of a dispute with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over a possible military move against Iran and Defense Minister Israel Katz's denial of tension between the political leadership and the military establishment.
جريدة عمان Its coverage centered on the Iranian response, quoting Baqaei describing the elections as a "competition between gangs," calling Netanyahu's threats "hollow" and "a sign of desperation," and affirming that Iran is "in a state of war."