Netanyahu Shares AI Nuclear Blast Image Over Tel Aviv Ahead of Israeli Election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared an AI-generated image of a nuclear blast over Tel Aviv on X on Sunday, two days before the October 27 election, warning of an existential threat from Iran. The post, citing right-wing commentator Yuval Blumberg, argued that Iran acquiring nuclear weapons would change everything and dismissed other controversies as a "smokescreen." Netanyahu claimed Israel has "another two years of Trump to finish the work in Iran" and that the mission requires a leader who can maintain close ties with the former president. Opposition leaders condemned the post, with Gadi Eisenkot accusing Netanyahu of using scare tactics after failing to achieve war objectives, and Yair Golan calling for the prime minister to be kept off social media. Critics have accused Netanyahu of pushing for renewed war with Iran to influence the vote, though the IDF chief of staff reportedly saw no operational need for a pre-election strike.