Netanyahu Sought to Resume Iran Attacks But Trump Said Not Before The Midterms: Report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to resume attacks against Iran earlier this month but Trump prevented him from doing so, according to a new report.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times noted that the Israel Defense Forces was ready to conduct strikes on the weekend of October 10. They would have targeted nuclear infrastructure as well as energy targets, including energy plants used with civilian purposes.

However, the outlet added, Trump did not give the green light as he is not seeking a resumption of the conflict before the U.S. midterms, which will take place on November 3.

Netanyahu said days later that he didn't believe it to be convenient to strike Iran before the country's elections on October 27. "In my opinion, that is not convenient for us," he said when speaking to Army Radio last week.

However, he has also said that toppling the regime continues to be a key goal of Israel and he has directed agencies to pursue it. "We must bring this regime down once and for all," he said.

Trump endorsed Netanyahu this weekend, calling him a "Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Netanyahu released a video responding to the endorsement, thanking Trump for the support and echoing his message about the strength of their partnership against Iran.

The Israeli prime minister told the president that "there has never been a greater friend of Israel's in the White House" and claimed that "America has been fortunate to have a leader of conviction, of clarity, of courage who faces down this [Iranian] threat to America and to Israel."

Netanyahu's main electoral rival, the Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, criticized the move by the president, telling students during an event at Tel Aviv University that, while he has great "appreciation" for Trump, "Israel's citizens are the only ones who will decide who the prime minister will be."

Recent polls by Israeli media outlets such as Maariv, Channel 12, Channel 13 and KAN News all show Eisenkot's Yashar pulling ahead of Netanyahu's Likud party.

However, none of these polls show either of the two main electoral coalitions, the current governing coalition and the opposition coalition (of which Eisenkot is a part), securing a majority of 61 seats in the Israeli Knesset. Instead, an average of the four surveys show the two blocs are virtually tied at about 51 seats apiece.