Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz:

“Any attack on Israel and any future terrorist attacks, should they unfortunately occur, will be attributed to Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan, and their fellow opposition members—who relentlessly attack the Prime Minister and me, and cast doubt on our judgment in warning and alerting the public, based on intelligence in our possession, about our enemies’ intentions to attack Israel and carry out terrorist attacks on the eve of the elections or during them, in order to influence the election results.

All the criticism and statements attributing ulterior motives to us demonstrate a disconnect from reality and the narrow political interests of those making them. Such statements undermine Israel’s deterrence and encourage our enemies to act.

The Prime Minister and I will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect the citizens of Israel and strike our enemies with force, at any time and in any place—as we have done throughout recent years.”