Netanyahu Agrees to Security Briefing for Opposition Leader Lapid

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a security briefing for Opposition Leader Yair Lapid late Tuesday night, following an initial refusal. Lapid had demanded a comprehensive security update after Netanyahu publicly warned of potential enemy attacks aimed at disrupting the upcoming elections. Lapid stated that in a democracy, all involved parties should receive a full update if there is a problem and what steps are being taken to ensure the democratic process.

Earlier, Lapid had requested an urgent security briefing, citing Netanyahu's remarks during a visit to the Tel Nof Air Force base. During the visit, Netanyahu warned, "We have signs that our enemies will try to attack us ahead of the elections." He added, "From here, from the Air Force base, from Israel's long arm, I give you a message: Don't mess with us, not now and not ever. Our long arm will reach you anywhere, anytime."

Following Netanyahu's statements, Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yisrael Beiteinu" party, commented that if the security threats are real, the opposition leader must be immediately updated. Eisenkot suggested that the threat might be political, intended to interfere with the election system.

Initially, Netanyahu's office rejected Lapid's request, stating that the Prime Minister regularly holds security briefings with the opposition leader, with the last one occurring on September 14. They claimed Netanyahu had instructed his military secretary to update Lapid on recent developments. However, after Lapid presented a new demand for a four-way meeting including the head of the Shin Bet security agency, David Barnea, and the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Noam Sofer, Netanyahu's office extended an invitation for the security update scheduled for 11:30 PM. Prior to this, Netanyahu was set to convene a security discussion for an operational assessment.