Olmert: "Netanyahu might draw us into war for political gain"

Former prime minister Ehud Olmert accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a radio interview to 103fm, of using IDF military operations for political gain before the upcoming election. 'Netanyahu makes an impression that Israel stands before an existential threat,' Olmert told 103fm host Nissim Mishal, adding that 'while [IDF's] capabilities are extensive and we can reach unimaginable places, we must avoid being arrogant in front of [Hezbollah].' Media sources reported Thursday that the IDF had exposed Hezbollah's precision-missile project, to which Netanyahu responded with an explicit threat. 'Netanyahu knows of the precision-missiles project not from [military intelligence], but from media sources,' he questioned, adding that 'there is nothing in this report except for planned fear-provoking.' According to Olmert, 'Netanyahu makes it look like we are standing before a horrible threat, and he steers the wheel to spare us from the threat in the North and in the South.' 'As the Prime Minister thinks – rightfully – that [the IDF] can bomb Iran's forces in Syria, what we need to ask is how he keeps letting the Iranians get into Syria in the first place,' he said. 'How did the Iranians manage to get into Syria under our radar while Netanyahu hosts an international festival against Iran's nuclear capability?' Olmert said. 'Why did we not act then with the same decisiveness we presume to act with now?' 'This aggressive pretentiousness has no purpose other than political gain, and I do not retract my words,' he added, saying that 'it is not coincidental that he made his statement by the side of Moshe Feiglin. I accuse him of possibly drawing us into war for political gain.' 'It's unquestionably pure politics and Prime Minister Netanyahu does it unstoppably. It is not a coincidence that for 13 years nothing has happened [between Israel and] Hezbollah, and I hope Hezbollah will remember what they got in the Second Lebanon War,' Olmert said. He added that 'it is important to remember that Israel is capable of destroying Hezbollah, but [it would come with] a great cost to us.' In conclusion, Olmert said that '[Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani] who stands behind that force is not a good man. He is a dangerous enemy and I think it would be irresponsible to eliminate him now. I will just say that there is something [both me and Soleimani] know he knows.'

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Olmert: "Netanyahu might draw us into war for political gain"

"He creates panic from every issue and talks about it"

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