New Iran conflict could postpone Israeli elections, IDF chief warns after Trump assures no strikes before midterms

Israel’s military chief warned that a new escalation of fighting between the United States and the Iranian regime could cause the Israeli elections, scheduled for Oct. 27, to be postponed, Channel 12 News reported on Thursday.

The report was published after The New York Times became the latest major news outlet to report that the Pentagon is concluding preparations for launching new strikes against Iran, including the simultaneous deployment of three aircraft carriers to the region.

However, the reports also noted that U.S. President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on whether and when to order new strikes, still hoping to advance diplomatic negotiations with Tehran.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the U.S. is “having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” noting that the U.S. naval blockade causes the country to be “in very bad condition, both Economically and Militarily” while oil is “flowing in Record Numbers of Barrels through the Hormuz Strait (22 Million Barrels, last night alone, with not one barrel coming from, or going to, Iran!).”

In recent months, U.S. forces have supported the shipment of over 1.25 billion barrels of crude oil from Gulf partners and through the Strait of Hormuz. In contrast, Iran has not shipped any barrels because of America's ironclad blockade on Iranian ports. https://t.co/xB5UTv4AfS

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) October 8, 2026

The president emphasized that “we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd. IRAN WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!”

Against this backdrop, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir was briefed by senior American officials this week that large-scale operations could resume in as early as three weeks, Channel 12 reported, citing a senior U.S. official and another source.

Zamir warned that a new war within that timeframe would force Israel to postpone its elections, noting assessments that the regime would again retaliate with a massive missile barrage against Israel.

A senior American official told Channel 12 he estimates that a final decision would be made within seven to 10 days.

Zamir’s warning comes amid allegations by critics that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could provoke a new conflict ahead of the election. His main rival, Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, voiced similar concerns in a Thursday interview with Channel 12.

“I don’t trust Netanyahu not to trigger a security escalation before the elections. My concern is the Iranian front,” Eisenkot said.

However, Channel 12 noted that, unlike in previous instances, pressure for a new escalation is coming primarily from Washington rather than Jerusalem. Israel is reportedly expected to participate in an operation designed to be intense but brief, targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure and nuclear sector.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that Trump remains ambivalent, having already rejected five proposals for major operations against Iran or the Houthis in Yemen in recent months.

The latest strike plans were reportedly discussed at a meeting in Camp David with senior national security officials and U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

In a Tuesday interview with Reuters, Vance reiterated Washington’s demands regarding Iran’s nuclear program. “If you don’t want a nuclear weapon, then why ​do you need 60% enriched fuel? And if you want to show commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, don’t build highly enriched ⁠fuel. That’s a very basic threshold issue.”

“I think if they want to show a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, they would do something meaningful on their ​enrichment capacity.”