Netanyahu touts Trump's endorsement on the eve of the vote and suggests they may restart the war on Iran

On the eve of the vote, Benjamin Netanyahu publicised Donald Trump's endorsement and suggested the two could restart the war on Iran. Israel's Channel 12 reported that he clashed with army chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir over a directive for military action linked to Iran, and he posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear blast over Tel Aviv. His challenger Gadi Eisenkot backs strikes on Iran's nuclear programme but not a return to all-out war.

L 25%C 33%R 42%

L 25% · C 33% · R 42% · 12 outlets

Left 0 · Centre-left 3 · Centre 4 · Centre-right 1 · Right 4

Blindspot for the left (barely covered by left-leaning outlets)

Context Sources by lean Video Deep dive Follow the money More coverage

How each side framed it

Left-leaning outlets

'Netanyahu reportedly pressured military to attack Iran in run-up to election' (Guardian, New York Times).

Centre outlets

Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Netanyahu touts Trump endorsement on eve of vote, suggests they may restart war on Iran” (News24); “Netanyahu touts Trump endorsement on eve of vote, suggests they may restart war on Iran” (Reuters).

Right-leaning outlets

'Trump calls on Israel to re-elect Netanyahu... to finish the job in Iran' (Daily Mail); 'Netanyahu pushed for strike on Iran' (Telegraph).

Context

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Sources by lean

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Showing 3 from each side of 12 rated outlets (L 3 / C 4 / R 5). More coverage

Video

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Deep dive

A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.

The paradox: Left and right outlets report the same pressure on the army; they differ on whether it reassures or alarms.

A question to hold: Shared question: who decides on war in the final days of a campaign?

Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.

Follow the money

Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.

Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (12 outlets)

Outlet	Lean	Ownership & funding (MBFC)
New York Times	Centre-left	The Ochs-Sulzberger family controls the New York Times through Class B shares. Since 1967, the company has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYT. Class B shares are those that are held privately. source
The Guardian	Centre-left	The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source
Times of Israel	Centre-left	The Times of Israel is co-owned by David Horovitz and Seth Klarman. Revenue is generated through advertising..push({}); source
News24	Centre	Media24 owns and publishes News24.com. They publish several magazines, newspapers, and online publications in South Africa. Advertising and subscription fees generate revenue. source
Reuters	Centre	In April 2008, the British company Reuters Group was acquired by Thomson Corporation and formed Thomson Reuters. source
The Economist	Centre	The Economist is owned by the Economist Group, which is a British multinational media company. They are primarily owned by the Cadbury, Rothschild, Schroder, Layton, and Agnelli families. Subscriptions, advertising, and sponsored content generate revenue for the Economist. source
The Hill	Centre	In 2021, The Hill was purchased by Nexstar, which owns around 200 TV stations and media outlets nationwide. The founder, chairman, president, and CEO of Nexstar is Perry A. Sook. source
New York Post	Centre-right	The New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which owns many conservative/sensational media outlets worldwide. The paper is funded through advertising, subscriptions, and newsstand sales. source
Daily Mail	Right	The Daily Mail is published by Associated Newspapers Limited, part of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). DMGT is controlled by the Rothermere family and is 100% owned by Rothermere Continuation Limited. Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, serves as Chairman..push({}); DMGT became privately owned after delisting from the London Stock Exchange in 2022. source
Fox News	Right	Rupert Murdoch is the owner and a board member of News Corp 21st Century Fox. According to Reuters, James Murdoch (son) was chief executive of 21st Century Fox and left in May 2018. L achlan (the other son of Murdoch) and Rupert Murdoch will serve as the new Fox co-chairman. source
Newsmax	Right	Newsmax is owned by publicly traded Newsmax Inc., which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NMAX on March 31, 2025. The company completed a $75 million public offering after previously raising approximately $225 million through a preferred-stock offering. source
The Telegraph	Right	Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source