TODAY’S PAPER | October 26, 2026 | EPAPER

CDF Munir to attend joint meeting with Saudi defence, Turkish intelligence chiefs in Tehran: IRNA

Israel’s Netanyahu clashes with army chief over Iran-linked operation ahead of election


Web Desk/Anadolu Agency October 26, 2026 3 min read
(Right) Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian receives Field Marshal Asim Munir prior to their meeting in Tehran. PHOTOS: IRNA/AFP

Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Bagheri announced on Monday that senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey will travel to Tehran as part of efforts to implement the idea of "endogenous security" in West Asia, according to IRNA.

In an interview carried by ISNA, he is reported to have said that Saudi Arabia's Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin will "attend a joint meeting during their trip to Tehran".

"Asim Munir had previously announced their meeting with the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council during his encounter with Lieutenant General Mohsen Rezaei."

Israel’s Netanyahu clashes with army chief over Iran-linked operation ahead of election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir clashed over a proposed military operation that could trigger fighting with Iran ahead of Israel’s election, Channel 12 reported on Sunday.

Zamir requested a detailed discussion and signed legal authorisation from political leaders before carrying out their instructions, the broadcaster said. It did not disclose the nature of the operation.

Read: Trump rules out Sunday military strikes on Iran

The report cited military concerns that the political leadership could exploit tensions with Iran for electoral gain before the October 27 parliamentary vote.

A security official warned that the operation could rapidly escalate into a confrontation with Iran and lead to a miscalculation at a particularly sensitive time.

Netanyahu denied any dispute with Zamir during an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 later Sunday.

“There is no confrontation,” he said.

Political officials also rejected the claim that the Iranian issue was being used for electoral purposes, according to Channel 12.

In the same interview, Netanyahu said he had instructed the Mossad intelligence agency and the military to work toward toppling Iran’s government.

Channel 12 did not establish whether the undisclosed operation was connected to those instructions.

Netanyahu also claimed Iran had resumed its nuclear program and portrayed the election as a matter of Israel’s survival.

Earlier on Sunday, he posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv alongside a warning about Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. Opposition party leaders Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan accused him of spreading fear and panic before the vote.

Trump reiterates his endorsement of Netanyahu, urges Israel to ‘finish the job’ in Iran

US President Donald Trump on Sunday reaffirmed his strong support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging Israelis to re-elect him in the upcoming election and calling for Israel to press ahead with its military campaign against Iran until it is completed.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he referred to an endorsement letter he published on October 18, praising Netanyahu as an “outstanding Warrior Prime Minister” and emphasising their close relationship in military operations against Iran.

“As everyone is aware, including the enemy, Bibi and I have had a great relationship in winning together,” Trump wrote, citing the US military operation against Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, as an example.

Trump claimed that Iran had lost its navy and air force and that its military and economy were in disarray. He also said Iran's inflation had reached 301% and that a naval blockade had prevented the country from exporting oil. He further claimed that two levels of Iran's leadership, both military and civilian, had been eliminated.

Urging Israeli voters to support Netanyahu, he said: “Vote for Bibi Netanyahu for Prime Minister. We have to finish the job that we started!”

In his October 18 letter to the Israeli public, Trump described Netanyahu as a “Great Warrior Prime Minister” and an “even greater Partner for Peace” in confronting Iran, referring to what he called Iran's decades-long threats against Israel and the US.

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