Scathing criticism by the former head of Israel's internal security agency levelled against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could hurt his election prospects, analysts said lately.

"I have no faith in the current leadership, which must lead us in an event on the scale of war with Iran or a regional war," Yuval Diskin, who served as head of the Israel Security Agency ( Shin Bet) from 2005 to 2011, said on Friday.

"I don't believe in either the prime minister or the defense minister. I don't believe in a leadership that makes decisions based on messianic feelings," he added, referring to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Meir Elran, a senior researcher of the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, told Xinhua Sunday that the comments were damaging to Netanyahu, who considers a nuclear- armed Iran an existential threat to Israel.

"The question is, to what extent it's damaging and how long it will prevail in the overall political scene in Israel," Elran said.

Diskin's remarks came two months after Meir Dagan, former head of the Mossad intelligence agency, questioned Israel's policy towards Iran, saying that the Iranian leadership had not yet made the decision to construct a nuclear weapon, and that it would take the administration another three years to reach the nuclear threshold.

Galia Golan, a professor at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, said that the remarks made by Diskin and Dagan can make a difference in how people view Israel's policies.

"It's not like we are hearing something new, but you hear it from people who are clearly from within; former heads of the Shin Bet and the Mossad -- this is pretty serious stuff when you hear it from security people," she said, noting the public's greater acceptance of critique from security figures with a proven track record.

"It does make a difference, and if you look at public opinion some 49 percent of all Israelis are opposed to an attack on Iran, and this kind of statement clearly strengthens that sentiment," Golan said.

Elran said, at the moment, it is hard to tell if the remarks will have any effect on voters or not, yet if elections are held sooner rather than later, people are more likely to still remember the criticism.

Elran argued that the commentary have "an added value if you combine it with distinguished people in the security services," referring to Dagan's statements.

Israel's Knesset elections are scheduled to be held at the end of 2013. However, over the last six months there have been speculations of earlier elections. But since the prime minister's government enjoyed a stable parliamentary majority, the only possibility for earlier elections, at the moment, is if he decides so.

Nevertheless, the stability of the government might change should Netanyahu move forward with the "Tal law" which exempts ultra-orthodox Jews from mandatory military or national service.

During a meeting on Sunday with advocates of amending the law, Netanyahu said that if necessary he will go to elections over the issue.

Even if earlier elections are held -- maybe as early as the end of the summer -- it still remains to be seen if this would result in a new prime minister or just a new government under Netanyahu.

Golan said that while Diskin's comments on Iran that are likely to get the biggest headlines, equally important is what he said about the stalled peace talks with the Palestinians.

"Forget the stories they tell you about how (Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud) Abbas is not interested in negotiation. We are not talking to the Palestinians because this government has no interest in negotiations," Diskin said.

Golan said that the comment confirmed her beliefs regarding the lack of progress in talks, which now have been frozen for nearly two years.

Although the criticism against Netanyahu would not necessarily change the overall support for the prime minister, "it is a factor, " Elran stressed.