Israeli army officials are warning that any attack on Iran should come after Israel's election on 27 October, over fears that it could delay the vote and erode trust in the military.
Military officials have said that, though intelligence indicates Iran is beefing up its ballistic missile stockpile and production capacity, any attack would have a knock-on effect on public trust and could be viewed as politically motivated, according to Haaretz.
Public trust in Israel's military and security apparatus fell following Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, with the military being caught in a political blame game as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempts to deflect responsibility.
The warnings against renewed military action against Iran come after reports that Eyal Zamir, Israel's military chief, has told his counterparts that the US is preparing to return to war with Iran within the next three weeks, according to Israel's Channel 12.
Zamir said that such an attack would lead to the postponement of the election, with Iran expected to attack Israel in response to any US escalation.
Concerns that Netanyahu may delay the upcoming Israeli elections, where polling shows neither he nor the anti-Netanyahu opposition bloc can win enough seats to form a majority, have been voiced by Israel's opposition.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu claimed that Hamas would attack Israel ahead of the elections and had warned the week before that the country's enemies could attack it.
Israeli opposition politician Yair Lapid denounced Netanyahu after being briefed on the intelligence on Hamas, according to the Times of Israel.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak told Israel's Channel 12: "Netanyahu is preparing the infrastructure to go to war in a way that would postpone elections," he said, adding that "we must do everything to remove him from power on Oct 27, once and for all."
The army's concern that a return to war could postpone the election comes as US President Donald Trump mulls an attack on Iran, with reports that new plans are being drawn for a short but intense campaign.
Trump, whose Republican Party is also campaigning ahead of midterm elections in November, has publicly ruled out renewed strikes before the vote, despite reports on preparations underway.