Netanyahu leans on Trump backing before Israeli vote, invokes Iran threat
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amplified President Donald Trump’s endorsement before the election, insisting the United States would confront Iran only if he stays in power.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told voters on Sunday night that U.S. President Donald Trump has given him extraordinary support and urged them to re-elect him, framing the contest as a choice that could reopen the path to military action against Iran if Netanyahu wins. “US President Donald Trump has come with a friendship that has never existed before between an Israeli prime minister and an American president,” Netanyahu said in a televised appearance, adding that Trump is “calling on you to vote for me.”
Trump posted on social media, “Vote for Bibi Netanyahu for Prime Minister, we have to finish the job that we started!” and later suggested that action to eliminate the Iranian threat would depend on Netanyahu remaining in power.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said Iran is facing severe economic and military pressure and that the U.S. blockade will continue, while also saying the United States will not attack Iran before the U.S. midterm elections on November 3.
Netanyahu’s main rival, former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, also described Trump as a friend of Israel and said he expects cooperation with any elected leader.
The election, the first since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, will decide whether Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition keeps its narrow majority. Polls suggest his Likud party may lose seats, which could shake the coalition’s stability.
Both candidates have relied on social-media messaging to drive home security fears, with Netanyahu sharing AI-generated images showing Iranian leaders and a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv, while Eisenkot accused him of leaning on fear-based tactics.