Former IDF chief and minister Gadi Eisenkot accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of lying to the public, saying Iran never possessed nuclear bombs and that Netanyahu's claim of entering Iran twice to prevent annihilation by atomic weapons is delusional. The remarks, reported by N12, escalate a domestic political clash over the government's Iran narrative.
Opposition war cabinet observer Gadi Eisenkot on Wednesday morning sharply rejected Prime Minister Netanyahu's claim that Israel's strikes on Iran averted nuclear annihilation, calling the statements 'delusional' and accusing the premier of fabricating an existential threat to manipulate the public.
Speaking to N12, Eisenkot said: 'Netanyahu said delusional things yesterday with very troubling arrogance. Iran had no nuclear bombs. He is inventing a reality, inventing a threat to frighten the Israeli public.'
The exchange follows Netanyahu's Tuesday statement in which he asserted that as long as he remains prime minister, Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons, and that Israel had 'entered Iran twice' to prevent annihilation. Earlier this week, Netanyahu also credited joint efforts with Washington for removing the 'immediate nuclear threat' and 'saving the state from annihilation.'
Eisenkot's remarks represent the most direct personal attack yet from a senior former security chief on the prime minister's nuclear narrative. As The Zioneer reported at 10:39 a.m. Wednesday, Eisenkot initially accused Netanyahu of 'inventing a nuclear-threat narrative.' The latest N12 report adds the specific charge that Iran never possessed any atomic bombs — an assertion that directly contradicts the core of Netanyahu's justifications for Israeli military action.
The dispute remains at the level of political accusation; no independent verification of either side's factual claims is available in this report.
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