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Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of 'fear-mongering' after Netanyahu warned that the country's enemies may attack before next month's election, dismissing the alert and demanding a security briefing.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**Yair Lapid** accused Prime Minister **Benjamin Netanyahu** of 'fear-mongering' after Netanyahu warned that Israel's enemies may attack before next month's general election, following a meeting between the two leaders on Tuesday.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Netanyahu** posted an online video at a military base, posing in front of a fighter jet, claiming there were 'indications' enemies would try to attack ahead of the elections without specifying which enemy.

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Lapid slams Netanyahu pre-election attack warning — SkimNews

By Al Jazeera · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-09-30

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Yair Lapid accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of 'fear-mongering' after Netanyahu warned that Israel's enemies may attack before next month's general election, following a meeting between the two leaders on Tuesday.
Netanyahu posted an online video at a military base, posing in front of a fighter jet, claiming there were 'indications' enemies would try to attack ahead of the elections without specifying which enemy.
Lapid requested an urgent security briefing and said afterward he was certain the election would take place on time with 'no reason to panic the public,' accusing Netanyahu of using military bases as 'props for election campaign videos.'
Lapid directly tied the warning to Netanyahu's pre-October 7, 2023 record, saying Netanyahu 'ignored every warning before October 7, and now, 28 days before the election, he's suddenly busy fear-mongering.'
The election, scheduled for October 7, is Israel's first vote since the Hamas-led attacks; more than 76,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since, per the source.
A Reuters polling average shows Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party leading Netanyahu's Likud by 2 points, with opposition parties holding 64 of 120 Knesset seats — 15 more than Netanyahu's backers — though they may struggle to form a coalition.
Opposition leaders including Lapid, Eisenkot, and others agreed last week to coordinate on removing Netanyahu's government, pledging to boost turnout across constituencies.

Why it matters: Netanyahu faces a tight race with his most formidable rival Gadi Eisenkot leading Likud by 2 points in Reuters' polling average, and opposition parties holding 64 of 120 Knesset seats — a 15-seat edge over his backers. The security-warning clash plays out exactly 28 days before Israel's first election since October 7, with Lapid weaponizing Netanyahu's pre-attack intelligence failures against him.