An Israeli historian and political scientist, Ilan Pappé, has publicly stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to launch a military strike against Iran was motivated by personal legal troubles rather than strategic necessity.

According to Pappé, the attack was a calculated move to divert attention from Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial and delay its proceedings.

“He [Netanyahu] is very much interested in not attracting attention to his trial and the fact that he’s now in a difficult part of the trial where he is being questioned by the prosecutor,” Ilan told reporters.

Netanyahu, who has been embroiled in a five-year-long legal battle, faces charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust.

The trial, which recently entered a critical phase with Netanyahu under direct questioning by prosecutors, has intensified scrutiny on the Israeli leader.

Pappé alleges that Netanyahu is using the escalating conflicts in Gaza and the recent military action against Iran as a pretext to postpone the trial for several years.

“He is using the excuse of Gaza and the war of Iran to say you have to postpone the trial for two or three years because we are going to have a long war. So that’s his personal ambition,” Pappe concluded.