Israel’s Lapid accuses Netanyahu of ‘fear-mongering’ over attack warning

Opposition leader dismisses Netanyahu’s warning of possible attacks during next month’s general election.Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “fear-mongering” after the incumbent leader warned that the country’s enemies may attack before next month’s general election.Lapid, who heads the Yesh Atid party, dismissed the warning after meeting the prime minister on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Satellite images show Gaza in ruins three years into Israel’s genocidal warlist 2 of 3Israeli settlers attack Jalud village in occupied West Bank pogromlist 3 of 3Palestine weekly: Israeli politicians vie to look toughest before electionend of listEarlier in the day, Netanyahu posted an online video that showed him posing in front of a fighter jet at a military base and saying there were “indications that, ahead of the elections, our enemies will try to attack us”.He did not specify which enemy he had in mind. But in recent weeks, he has issued warnings to Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Authority, promising retaliation in the event of an attack.Lapid requested an urgent security briefing after the warning, and in an online post afterwards, he said he was certain the election would take place on time and that “there is no reason to panic the public”.“The elections will take place on time, and no one has an excuse to disrupt them,” he said.He accused Netanyahu of using military bases as “props for election campaign videos” and of failing to heed warnings before the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, which set off Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. More than 76,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war.“Netanyahu ignored every warning before October 7, and now, 28 days before the election, he’s suddenly busy fear-mongering,” Lapid said. He added: “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.”