Gadi Eisenkot has rejected Benjamin Netanyahu's renewed call for a national unity government, describing the proposal as Netanyahu's "latest bluff", Gulf News reports.
Eisenkot, the Yashar leader, has been tasked with forming a government after last month's election. Gulf News does not say when or where he made the remark. The quote has not been independently checked.
Netanyahu, Israel's caretaker prime minister, made his appeal in a recorded video on Saturday evening, urging talks without preconditions. According to Gulf News, he said his meeting with Eisenkot had strengthened his belief that a unity government was needed to guarantee Israel's security, particularly against Iran.
Gulf News reports that negotiations on forming a government are expected to be difficult.
The security cabinet is due to meet today, its first meeting since early October.