Two days before vote, Netanyahu posts AI image of nuclear strike on Tel Aviv
Israel's prime minister warned of an Iranian nuclear attack with an AI-generated image. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot called him "hysterical." Israel votes on Tuesday.
Archive image · Photo: The White House / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv on X on Sunday, two days before a general election. He also shared a right-wing commentator's warning that electing a leader unable to confront Iran could expose Israelis to a "second Holocaust." Netanyahu wrote that Israel faces a "real and tangible existential threat" and that if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, "nothing else will matter anymore," The Times of Israel reported.
Opposition figures reacted angrily. Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief who leads the Yashar party, wrote on X: "Netanyahu, you're hysterical," accusing him of using lies and scare tactics in every campaign. Democrats leader Yair Golan called for Netanyahu to be kept away from social media.
Critics accuse Netanyahu of pushing for renewed war with Iran ahead of the vote, which he denies. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel was not starting a campaign against Iran before the election, HNGN reported. Israelis elect a new Knesset on Tuesday, Oct. 27.