Israel's defense minister said Thursday that caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not need opposition permission to order fresh military operations despite election setbacks, after threats to strike Iran.
"We do not need approval from the opposition or any legal authority" for the army to carry out strikes in any of the arenas where it operates, caretaker Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X.
Gadi Eisenkot, who has been tasked with forming a new government, met for two hours on Thursday with Netanyahu after saying earlier he had not been properly consulted.
In a brief joint statement, the two men said that Netanyahu and his military aide had briefed Eisenkot "on the security and diplomatic challenges currently facing the State of Israel" and that the two agreed to stay in touch.
Eisenkot had earlier called on Netanyahu to show restraint, warning that the use of force without a "direct and immediate threat" could have "disastrous consequences for Israeli democracy and for citizens' trust".
Netanyahu repeatedly threatened to resume the Iran war on the campaign trail for elections last month, warning of threats and even posting an image of a nuclear bomb destroying Tel Aviv.
Katz said on Thursday that the outgoing coalition had "demonstrated resolve and sound judgement in dealing with Iran, in full coordination with the Israeli army -- and that will remain the case now, as circumstances require".
- Warning on lack of authority -
Avigdor Liberman, a key member of Eisenkot's political bloc who has been named head of a parliamentary committee on foreign and defense affairs, also criticized Netanyahu on Thursday.
"I warn you: a caretaker government is not allowed to make decisions that could drag Israel into war without parliamentary oversight and without the full consent of all security agencies," said Liberman, a hawkish former aide to Netanyahu who has become a strident critic.
Neither Liberman nor Eisenkot mentioned Iran directly.
Netanyahu's office has hit back, saying on Wednesday that Eisenkot, a former military chief, was politicizing national security.
Since last year Netanyahu has twice ordered major bombing campaigns against Iran in partnership with US President Donald Trump.
Both leaders said afterwards that they had severely set back Iran's efforts to build nuclear weapons, which the clerical state denies pursuing.
Trump has allied himself with Netanyahu but in recent days has said the focus is on diplomacy, after he also suffered a setback in elections, partly due to the war.
Eisenkot has until December 6 to form a government, although President Isaac Herzog can give him an extension until December 20.
Both Eisenkot's broad left-to-right coalition and Netanyahu's bloc of hard-right and religious parties fell short of a majority in Israel's October polls.
Eisenkot is exploring options to form a government, with Liberman demanding he not work with Israeli-Arab lawmakers, whose numbers soared in the elections on the back of anger over Netanyahu.
