Former chiefs of staff of the Israeli army and the Mossad intelligence agency stated that the current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poses an "existential threat" to the state.

This was stated in a letter sent last night, Tuesday, to the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate before Netanyahu's speech to Congress, scheduled for this evening, Wednesday, according to local media reports.

The letter was signed by 18 figures, including former Israeli army chief Dan Halutz, former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo, former army chief and defense minister Moshe Ya'alon, former director general of the Ministry of Defense Ilan Biran, former deputy chief of staff Matan Vilnai, and former National Security Council chairman Uzi Arad.

The letter was also signed by Professor Aaron Ciechanover, the Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry in 2004. The text of the letter circulated on Israeli social media stated: "As a group of leaders who have served the State of Israel for decades in defense institutions, industry, academia, law, and public service, we write to you with great concern regarding Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to the United States and the damage it inflicts on our common goals."

They said: "This visit prioritizes his (Netanyahu's) personal political survival at the expense of our common interests. Netanyahu has lost the support of the Israeli people and is trying to support his internal coalition by displaying power in the United States."

They added: "Congress will host a leader without a mandate, facing trial for serious crimes. Netanyahu has an unprecedented legal conflict of interest with the State of Israel and is facing a criminal trial on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, while being subjected to a formal investigation."

The former Israeli officials clarified that Netanyahu "remains unwilling to envision a post-war plan and continues to destabilize the national security of both Israel and the United States."

They stated that Netanyahu "bears responsibility for the war (on Gaza) due to his failure to evaluate the risks on the Gaza borders by deploying the necessary forces to support the demands of his extremist political partners."

They pointed out that "we cannot overstate this; Prime Minister Netanyahu poses an existential threat to the State of Israel."

They said: "He has no clear strategic objectives for the war in Gaza, no plan for the day after, and no strategy for dealing with the existential threat posed by Iran."

They added: "For decades, he (Netanyahu) has incited Israelis against each other, harming our national social fabric, severely damaging our defensive capabilities, and leading to the erosion of our economy and the destruction of our international standing."

They continued: "Netanyahu is severely harming U.S. national security interests through his approach to this war, negatively impacting U.S. policy in the Middle East and beyond, and putting Israel at greater risk."