An “unprecedented confrontation” between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir exploded onto the front pages in Israel on Sunday over an unspecified military instruction issued by the prime minister that defense officials believe could lead to a swift confrontation with Iran shortly before the election. The Times of Israel, citing Channel 12 News, reported that Zamir had been resisting carrying out the military action and sought further deliberations, as well as signed documentation from Netanyahu regarding legal authorization for it.

The issue came to a head in the 24 hours into Sunday night. Channel 12 quoted a military source saying, “This relates to an action that could lead to a flare-up with Iran, at a sensitive and dramatic moment, creating this [potential] miscalculation.”

The report further quoted unnamed sources who said there was concern among military leaders of an effort by the political leadership “to utilize the Iranian issue for political benefit.”

During an interview with Channel 14 Netanyahu called the Channel 12 report “nonsense,” saying “there was no fight” with Zamir. Earlier in the interview, the prime minister said that he had recently “instructed the IDF and Mossad to topple the [Iranian] regime,” though this did not seem to be connected to the report of a specific instruction from recent days.

The Channel 12 report said that the hostility and tension between Netanyahu and Zamir were evident at a discussion at Palmahim Airbase on Sunday, where the atmosphere in the room was described as “extremely sour.”

This came after Netanyahu claimed earlier in the day that there was intelligence indicating that Iran was planning to attack Israel in order top try to disrupt Tuesday’s election. “We have intelligence signs that Iran and its proxies could challenge us with attacks in order to disrupt the elections,” he said, without elaborating.

Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s chief rival in Tuesday’s elections, warned him against using the IDF for political purposes. “I warn Netanyahu: Do not dare place your political interests above the state’s security,” Eisenkot said on X. “Holding the elections on time and completing the democratic process is a central component of Israel’s national resilience; we will not allow you to endanger Israel’s future in order to preserve your rule. In two days, Israeli citizens will put an end to the rule of recklessness and restore responsibility, statesmanship, and Israel’s security.”