Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has accused Benjamin Netanyahu of laying the groundwork for a possible war that could postpone Israel’s general election scheduled for Oct. 27, raising concerns that regional security tensions could be used to serve the prime minister’s political interests.

“Netanyahu is preparing the infrastructure to go to war in a way that would postpone the elections,” Barak said in remarks to Israel’s Channel 12. He described Netanyahu as dishonest and urged Israelis to remove him from power in the upcoming vote.

“We must do everything to remove him from power on Oct. 27, once and for all,” Barak said.

Netanyahu warned earlier in the week that Israel could face an external attack before the election, citing indications of preparations for a possible assault. He did not identify any potential attacker. Opposition figures dismissed the warning as a political maneuver, fueling suspicions that security concerns could become entangled with the election campaign.

The remarks come as Netanyahu faces mounting criticism over Israel’s war on Gaza, where Israeli genocial military operations have devastated large areas, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and deepened a humanitarian catastrophe. The war has drawn widespread international condemnation and intensified calls for accountability over the scale of civilian suffering. (ILKHA)