Netanyahu Uses AI Image of Nuclear Blast Over Tel Aviv Ahead of Elections

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image depicting a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv on his social media accounts two days before elections, on October 25. In his post, Netanyahu reiterated his stance on the Iranian threat, despite previously stating that it had been neutralized. He quoted Yuval Bloomberg, author of "The Oslo Trap," stating, "The State of Israel is under a real and tangible existential threat. If the Iranians get nuclear weapons, nothing else will matter. Everything is secondary compared to the existential threat from Iran and the Shiite axis."

Netanyahu's central message was that only he could protect Israel from Iran's nuclear ambitions, a task he suggested other leaders would be incapable of. He dismissed other political and security issues, such as the conscription of ultra-Orthodox individuals into the IDF and his advisors' cooperation with Qatar, as "staged and fabricated scandals." Netanyahu argued that these issues were a "giant smokescreen" to hide the paramount threat of nuclear weapons, asking rhetorically, "If two atomic bombs fall on the central region, who will care about all these empty scandals?"

The post concluded with a direct appeal to Israelis' fears for their safety, urging voters to consider their physical existence and that of their families before casting ballots for anyone he deemed unable to complete the task of preventing nuclear annihilation. This comes after Netanyahu had repeatedly declared, following military operations, that the Iranian threat had been eliminated "for generations." For instance, on June 24, 2025, he stated that "in 12 days of operation, we achieved a historic victory that will preserve its significance for generations. We eliminated two immediate threats to our existence, the threat of destruction by atomic bombs and the threat of destruction by 20,000 ballistic missiles."

Further reinforcing this, on April 11, 2026, after Operation "Lion's Roar," Netanyahu asserted that Israel had prevented Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, even twice. He explained that "we had to eliminate two existential threats. If we hadn't launched two operations against Iran, they would already have atomic bombs. And we prevented this existential threat." He also noted that "Iran still has enriched material. Either it will be removed by agreement, or by other means."

On June 15, 2026, at a press conference, the Prime Minister again stated that the immediate threat to Israel had been neutralized, saying, "With or without an agreement, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. People ask me what we have achieved, and I tell them: we have eliminated the immediate threat of destruction. Most importantly, we have saved the State of Israel from the threat of nuclear destruction." However, now, on the eve of elections, Netanyahu is once again claiming that Israel faces a "real existential threat," according to Ynet.

In response, Yair Golan, Chairman of the Democratic Party and a retired Major General, stated, "The Prime Minister of Israel published an image of an atomic bomb over Tel Aviv. I ask to ban him from social media. This man and his entourage have lost touch with reality. Tension is rising. On Tuesday, we will replace those who sow panic and return security and sanity to Israel."