No tangible threat was detected on the eve of the elections... but “we will not take any risks.”

Tel Aviv - Ofoq News - Sources in the Israeli army said, Monday evening, that no specific threat of an attack had been detected on the eve of the elections, explaining that the decision to impose a ban on soldiers leaving their units comes as a precaution in case the sensitive date is exploited to carry out attacks against Israel.

The sources added, according to Haaretz newspaper, that the intelligence information currently available does not provide sufficient justification for launching a pre-emptive attack or counter-attack, despite the state of alert prevailing in the military establishment for fear of armed groups exploiting the sensitive political situation in Israel.

Today, Monday, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir announced the imposition of a ban on soldiers leaving their units from Thursday until Tuesday, as part of preparations for Election Day.

The Israeli army said that the decision came after consultations conducted by senior military officials this morning, noting that Zamir confirmed that the army’s mission is to ensure that the elections are held on time and safely.

In addition to prohibiting the departure of units, Zamir issued instructions to increase the presence of senior military commanders in the operations rooms and command headquarters, and it was also decided to strengthen the forces affiliated with the Central Command, in light of the general tension in the region and fears of the outbreak of violence related to the elections.

Precautionary measures for fear of exploiting the sensitive date

The sources explained that the army usually imposes restrictions on soldiers leaving their units before dates that it considers sensitive.

The army imposed similar restrictions coinciding with the anniversary of the October 7 attack, fearing that the symbolic date would prompt “hostile” parties to attempt to carry out attacks against Israel, which did not happen in the end.

The newspaper quoted a military source as saying: “We do not take risks.”

The Israeli military establishment believes that the “armed groups” are aware of the sensitivity of the political situation in Israel, and that this sensitivity may affect their ability to initiate an attack.

The sources say that this belief is one of the reasons for raising the level of alert, despite the lack of intelligence information that currently justifies launching a preemptive attack or counterattack.

The military establishment believes that carrying out a military operation before the elections without sufficient intelligence justification may harm public confidence, which prompts it to avoid taking such a step at the present time.

Fears of the repercussions of Trump's statements regarding Iran

The Israeli army also took into account the statements of US President Donald Trump in recent weeks, in which he spoke about the possibility of launching an attack on Iran before the elections, in addition to his announcement of support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in statements that included a reference to the possibility of attacking Iran.

The Israeli military establishment fears that these statements will push the Iranian leadership to take a decision to attack Israel. It is also estimated that Hezbollah may launch an attack on Israel from Lebanon if Trump decides to carry out an American attack on Iran.

Netanyahu spoke about election threats without observing a security escalation

During recent weeks, Netanyahu repeated several times that there were indications of attempts to target Israel ahead of the elections, although the security establishment did not monitor an escalation in the level of threats, and did not issue summons orders for reserve forces or officers holding key positions designated for emergency situations.

Netanyahu raised the issue for the first time in a video clip he published at the end of last September, which raised questions within the security establishment, before he raised it again last week.

According to Haaretz, the military sources do not believe that the currently available intelligence information justifies launching a pre-emptive attack, and confirm that the measures taken come within the framework of caution against the possibility of exploiting the electoral date to carry out attacks, and not based on a specific warning of an imminent attack.