With the October 27, 2026 elections just days away, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has released a campaign video putting Iran front and center. In it, he claims Iran has resumed its nuclear program and wants to destroy Israel within a short period of time. His message to voters is blunt: if you want to ensure the existence of the state of Israel and prevent its destruction, vote Likud. These are Netanyahu's own claims, made in a campaign setting, and the video does not offer public evidence for them. That is why many people are asking what he knows, and what he is not showing.

The message builds on Israel's earlier strikes on Iran, known as Operation Rising Lion and Operation Roaring Lion, which reportedly damaged Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities. Netanyahu argues the regime is now rebuilding and remains an existential threat. He has also said before that Israel would act with the same force if Iran tried to restore its program. With polls showing a close race, he is framing the vote as a choice to keep a hardline policy on Iran, possibly with US backing, aimed at ending the regime's nuclear ambitions. His opponents have long accused him of using the Iran issue as a campaign tool, while his supporters say the threat is real and urgent. Voters will have to decide which of those readings they believe.