Netanyahu Posts AI Image of Nuclear Blast Over Tel Aviv Two Days Before Israel Election

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published an AI-generated image of a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv on Sunday, October 25, two days before Israel's October 27 election. The post drew immediate condemnation from opposition figures, who said it was an attempt to frighten voters as they head to the polls.

The image was posted to Netanyahu's official Instagram account. It shows a huge mushroom cloud climbing above a densely populated city, with a powerful blast swallowing the buildings below. The post never named the city, although the scene appeared to depict Tel Aviv.

In the accompanying message, Netanyahu said Israel faces an existential threat from Iran and that the country's security hinges on the result of Tuesday's vote. "The State of Israel is in existential danger that Iran and its proxies threaten us with," he wrote. He called it astonishing that nothing has changed, adding that everything has in fact become more dangerous because of the danger posed by Iran and the "axis of evil."

Netanyahu also said new developments and findings should lead the public to "put aside the disputes and think only about the most important issue: ending the work in Iran."

Democrats chairman Yair Golan responded on X, saying Netanyahu and his circle had lost control as election day nears. "The prime minister of Israel published an image of an atomic bomb over Tel Aviv," Golan wrote. "I ask that he be kept away from social media. The man and those around him have lost it. The pressure is mounting." He added that on Tuesday voters would "replace those spreading panic and restore security and sanity to Israel."

The exchange comes amid a wider argument over how Netanyahu has handled the Iranian threat, which has become a central theme in the closing days of the campaign.

Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot also criticized the post, accusing the prime minister of falling back on familiar campaign methods. "Another fearmongering video from Netanyahu," Eisenkot wrote. "You are hysterical. As in every election campaign, once again the same method of lies and fearmongering."

Eisenkot claimed that Netanyahu was now threatening Israelis with mass destruction after failing to achieve the goals of the war against Iran. "You have failed," he wrote. "In two days, the people of Israel will show you that at the ballot box."