The Israeli defense establishment has been directed to accelerate its readiness for a potential offensive against Iran, according to public broadcaster KAN. The security cabinet’s order follows a speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the 26th Knesset in which he argued that the Islamic Republic is attempting to renew its nuclear program and that the only way to permanently end the threat is to overthrow the current regime in Tehran.

The directive arrives amid a political standoff between Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, who is tasked with forming the next government. Eisenkot recently issued a public letter demanding that Netanyahu exercise restraint and avoid unilateral security moves that could create a constitutional conflict during the political transition. While Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused Eisenkot of using security as a political bargaining chip, the Prime Minister’s Office dismissed the warning as a transparent attempt to politicize national security.