A former Mossad chief has told an Israeli television program that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the order in 2011 for the military to prepare to attack Iran within 15 days.

Tamir Pardo told Keshet TV's show Uvda in an interview that aired Thursday that the order was not given "for the sake of a drill."

There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu's office.

Ex-premier Ehud Barak, who was Netanyahu's defense minister in 2011, previously claimed Netanyahu sought to bomb Iran in 2010 and 2011, but was opposed by senior Israeli officials.

Pardo says he consulted the Mossad's legal advisers following the order but didn't explain what happened after that.

The Israeli leader has been a strident critic of Iran, and has accused Tehran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons.