DM Katz: Any future attack on Israel ‘will be laid at the feet of the opposition’

Defense Minister Israel Katz said opposition figures would bear responsibility for any future attack on Israel, prompting sharp responses from Yair Lapid and Gadi Eisenkot, who accused him of politicizing national security and attempting to evade accountability.

Katz named Lapid, Naftali Bennett and Yair Golan, saying any attack or future act of terrorism “will be laid at the feet” of them and their opposition colleagues.

He accused them of undermining warnings issued by him and Prime Minister Netanyahu about possible attacks ahead of or during the elections. Katz said those warnings were based on intelligence indicating that Israel’s enemies could seek to influence the outcome of the vote.

Criticism suggesting that the warnings were politically motivated, he argued, weakened Israel’s deterrence and encouraged its enemies to act.

Katz said the IDF had the intelligence and operational capabilities to take preemptive and defensive action against Iran and its proxies across all fronts. The military would act immediately if necessary, or according to directives issued by the political leadership, he added.

“The Prime Minister and I will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect the citizens of Israel,” Katz said, pledging to strike Israel’s enemies regardless of the electoral timetable.

Eisenkot, chairman of the “Yashar! With Eisenkot” party, accused the defense minister of preparing to shift blame before any attack had occurred.

“The Minister of Defense is laying the groundwork for the next disaster and preemptively shirking responsibility,” Eisenkot said.

He described a defense minister blaming political opponents for potential enemy attacks as “an unprecedented low.”

Former Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid called Katz’s remarks “reckless and hysterical,” saying the statement itself was “a gift to Israel’s enemies.”

Lapid accused Netanyahu and Katz of seeking scapegoats for what he described as the government’s failures against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, as well as its handling of Israel’s international standing.

“They have failed to eradicate Hamas, failed to topple Iran, failed to eliminate Hezbollah, and failed on the international stage,” he said. “And now, they blame the opposition.”

Lapid argued that the government was turning national security into an election campaign issue in an effort to remain in power.

“Our military is strong, but the leadership is rotten and dangerous,” he said, accusing Netanyahu and Katz of putting their political survival ahead of the country’s security.

He urged voters to remove the government at the ballot box, warning that its continued leadership would bring further security failures.