Follow-up: On Election Eve, Netanyahu Touts Trump's Endorsement and Says He Ordered Mossad and IDF to Bring Down Iran's Regime; Rival Cites Fear-Mongering
According to Reuters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a televised appearance late on Sunday night, the eve of Israel's October 27 election, boasted of his endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump, suggesting the two leaders could restart their war against Iran if he wins. In his own social media post on Sunday, Trump, who launched the Iran war jointly with Netanyahu in February, said: "Vote for Bibi Netanyahu for Prime Minister, we have to finish the job that we started!" Tuesday's vote is Israel's first since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.
"U.S. President Donald Trump has come with a friendship that has never existed before between an Israeli prime minister and an American president. And it is doubtful we will ever have such a friendly president again," Netanyahu said. "He has another two years, and he says he is calling on you to vote for me." Netanyahu said Trump was willing to take action "that would finally, finally, remove the Iranian threat," but only as long as Netanyahu himself remains in power. "And I have already instructed the Mossad and the IDF to bring down this regime, to bring down this regime because that is the only way to put an end to this threat," he said, referring to Israel's main intelligence service and military. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Netanyahu's remarks.
Netanyahu's leading opponent, centrist former military Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, posted his own comments on social media, praising Trump as "a true friend of Israel" and saying he was confident Trump would work in full cooperation with any leader chosen by the people. Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of relying on a campaign of fear-mongering, lies and threats, including a computer-generated photo Netanyahu posted on Sunday of a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv. Polls suggest Netanyahu's Likud Party will lose seats, potentially depriving his coalition of its narrow majority, while the opposition also has no clear path to unseat him.
GSM reported on October 20 that Trump had voiced full support for Netanyahu's re-election while warning Iran; GSM will continue to follow the election result and coalition talks.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：特朗普与 Netanyahu 在白宫举行联合记者会（2025年9月29日，白宫官方资料图）。照片：白宫，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint White House press conference (September 29, 2025, White House file photo). Photo: The White House, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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