Israel's army chief demands written authorization before an Iran-linked order, a day before Israelis vote

Israel's military chief of staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, asked for an in-depth discussion before he would carry out a directive from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, Globes reported on Monday. According to the Hebrew business daily, Zamir also requested legal documentation and the signatures of the political leadership for an operation that could lead to a confrontation with Iran. People familiar with the details told Globes that military officers fear an attempt to use the Iran issue to build political momentum. Israelis vote on Tuesday, October 27.

Netanyahu rejected the account. He told Channel 14 that "there was no fight between us" and called the reports nonsense. During the campaign he has said he ordered the Mossad and the military to work toward toppling Iran's government, and he has claimed that Iran restarted its nuclear program. Neither claim has been independently confirmed.

Some Israeli commentators question the strategy itself. An opinion piece in Ynet argued that what Israel did not achieve in the last two campaigns against Iran is unlikely to be achieved in another round of fighting. The author called on the next government to reexamine its basic assumptions about Iran. Separately, Netanyahu threatened a major offensive in the West Bank after two Israeli soldiers were killed. A Consortium News essay republished by ZeroHedge described the threat as an election-timed pretext, which is the author's interpretation. The military announced a general closure of the West Bank for Palestinians on election day.

Markets are pricing some of this risk in. Globes reported that the shekel weakened against the dollar ahead of the vote.