Liberman petitions AG for treason inquiry into Netanyahu

Avigdor Liberman, leader of the Yisrael Beytenu party, formally requested that Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara open a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on suspicion of treason on Monday. The petition does not confirm that any crime has occurred, nor does it guarantee that a formal investigation will begin immediately.

The legal move follows a report by broadcaster N12 published on Sunday. The outlet stated that Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir had a disagreement over a proposed military operation that risked triggering a direct confrontation with Iran. The reported conflict emerged just two days before the October 27 election.

Liberman argued on social media that Netanyahu sought to force military action to prevent the vote from proceeding. He characterized the behavior as a betrayal of the state. He also maintained that the military leadership has a responsibility to prevent political figures from using the armed forces for partisan goals and to shield soldiers from avoidable danger.

In an interview with 103FM on Monday, Liberman described the Prime Minister's actions as erratic. "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 the relationship between the military and political leadership has never been more strained.

Defense Minister Israel Katz disputed the claims of internal conflict. He stated that coordination between the Prime Minister, himself, and the IDF on the Iran file has been complete since he assumed office. Katz insisted that Israel did not intend to start an attack on Iran before the election. He said the country made clear it would respond forcefully if Iran struck first.

Katz labeled reports of a split as entirely false and accused opposition members of using the story to challenge the judgment of the government. He called the criticism "shameful and irresponsible" and said the government would overcome the political pressure.

Liberman maintained that any military action with potential for a large-scale war requires a formal government decision. He stated that the Chief of Staff is strong enough to enforce this rule and keep the military out of political disputes.