Netanyahu eyes new mandate as elections loom

Benjamin Netanyahu will seek re-election this year, his party announced on Wednesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he wasn't sure if the Israeli prime minister would stand again.

In a brief statement, Netanyahu's Likud Party said he would run in the election and, God willing, he would win. The election has not yet been formally announced but must be held by October.

Earlier, ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl posted on X that Trump had told him he did not know if Netanyahu would stand.

"I don't know, he's had an amazing career. Does he want to continue?" the journalist quoted Trump as saying.

The Israeli election will be the first since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, the country's worst security failure, which precipitated Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu has faced a tumultuous term since returning to power in December 2022 at the helm of the most right-wing coalition in Israeli history. He faced mass anti-government protests before the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

Polls have repeatedly indicated that his coalition would fail to win a majority at the next election. A poll published by the Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute think tank on June 9 said that 61% of the Israeli public believe he should not run.

However, polls also show that a potential coalition of opposition parties would fall short of a parliamentary majority unless they form a coalition with Arab parties, which some opposition leaders have ruled out.

U.S. and Israeli officials say Trump and Netanyahu, who launched the Iran war together in February, still have a close relationship, though it has at times seen strain, including in recent weeks as Trump has demanded Israel curb military action in Lebanon while Washington negotiates a peace deal with Tehran.

Last week, Trump acknowledged calling Netanyahu "fucking crazy" in a hot-tempered phone call, though he also said they get along well. He has repeatedly called on Israel's president to pardon Netanyahu over outstanding corruption charges that Netanyahu denies.