Iran has long been a top issue for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Prime Minister Netanyahu has long warned of Tehran’s nuclear danger and regional aggression, which culminated in Israel’s June 2025 Operation Rising Lion, which later included the United States.
Now, a joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran could boost Prime Minister Netanyahu’s standing as elections loom. Officially, the vote is scheduled for October 2026, but tensions in the coalition could push the date forward.
Prime Minister Netanyahu framed the attack on Iran as part of Israel’s broader response and retaliation to the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, portraying the attack as an attempt to reshape the Middle East and – critics say – rewrite the narrative around the security failures that preceded the attack on Israel.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also emphasized his close relationship with President Donald Trump as a cornerstone of his election-year message.
Israel’s security crisis tends to create the effect of rallying around the flag, so the latest attack could also have the effect of temporarily silencing opposition voices. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said this morning: “Israel is strong, the IDF and Air Force are strong, and the world’s superpowers are with us. In times like these, we are united and we win together. There is no coalition, there is no opposition. There is only one country and one IDF, behind which we all stand.”
Still, political outcomes remain uncertain and not guaranteed. During Operation Rising Lion in June, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s polls rose only slightly and briefly. And if Iran responds with severe retaliatory strikes that cause significant damage or casualties on the Israeli mainland, the political calculations could ultimately shift against Iran.
