Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he was not in favour of a preemptive strike against Iran before Israel’s October 27 election but also warned Tehran and its proxies against striking Israel.
“It is not convenient for us, it’s no good,” Netanyahu said in an interview on Israel’s Army Radio, when asked about the possibility of a preemptive strike and allegations by his political rivals that he was seeking a military confrontation ahead of the election.
“Even if Iran fires missiles at us they will blame me,” Netanyahu said, though he also repeated his previous warnings to Iran, saying Israel would respond forcefully if attacked.
He would not elaborate on the possibility of a preemptive strike after the election or about his recent discussions with Washington about Iran.
The United States and Iran have been at war since February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states.
Israel and Iran have not traded fire since June.
