Benjamin Netanyahu

Caretaker prime minister; his bloc holds 53 seats. He has called for a national unity government and warned against a coalition reliant on Arab parties.

President Isaac Herzog asked former army chief Gadi Eisenkot on November 8 to form a government, after 67 lawmakers recommended him. His four-party bloc holds 48 seats, 13 short of the 61 needed for a majority, and he has 28 days, with a possible two-week extension.

Updated Yesterday

Caretaker prime minister; called for a unity government on November 7 and accused Arab lawmakers of backing Hamas in a Knesset speech on November 10

President Isaac Herzog tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government on November 8, after 67 of the Knesset's 120 members recommended him. Eisenkot, a former army chief, has until December 6 to assemble a coalition, with a possible two-week extension.

Updated Yesterday

His bloc holds 53 seats. Likud fears Shas and United Torah Judaism could join an Eisenkot-led coalition over a draft deal.

Gadi Eisenkot and Avigdor Liberman met on November 9 and agreed to open talks with the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism, with a softer military draft law on offer. They also agreed that a Yashar lawmaker, Matan Kahana, would be the bloc's candidate for Knesset speaker.

Updated 2 days ago

His 53-seat bloc is set to become the opposition, Mansour Abbas said on Nov. 10; Netanyahu has not conceded.

President Isaac Herzog gave Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form a government on Nov. 8, after 67 lawmakers recommended him and 46 backed Benjamin Netanyahu. The 26th Knesset was sworn in on Nov. 10. Eisenkot has 28 days to assemble a majority, with a possible 14-day extension.

Updated 2 days ago

Co-directing strikes on Iran and Lebanon under Operation Roaring Lion

The United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, 2026, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and hitting nuclear and military sites. A 60-day ceasefire expired on August 18 without renewal, and Iran said it would shift to a 'fully offensive' military posture.

Updated 3 days ago

Urging Trump to carry out another wave of strikes on Iran

A U.S. fighter jet destroyed an Iranian surface-to-air missile launcher on Qeshm Island on the night of Nov. 2, after the Revolutionary Guard fired at an American aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported. A U.S. official called the strikes on Iranian targets in the strait 'defensive,' and they came the night before midterm elections.

Updated 3 days ago

Pushing for large-scale strikes on Iran; ordered the military in early October to prepare a major new offensive that Trump shelved

Three U.S. carrier strike groups are in the region, and the Theodore Roosevelt group, with about 10,000 more personnel, is due by late November. On November 7 the U.S. military launched a task force meant to stop Iran moving weapons and other material overland, Al Jazeera reported.

Updated 4 days ago

Officials told AP on November 3 that he was pushing for strikes on Iran

The US struck an Iranian air-defense device on Qeshm Island on November 6, and President Donald Trump called the operation 'minor.' Iran said its air defenses destroyed an American MQ-9 drone over the island, while US Central Command described the situation as 'relatively calm.'

Updated 5 days ago

Facing domestic corruption trial and ICC arrest warrant; requested presidential pardon November 2025

On December 26, 2025, Israel became the first UN member state to recognize Somaliland as independent, 34 years after the region broke from Somalia during a civil war. Prime Minister Netanyahu called President Abdullahi to announce full diplomatic ties, framing the move through the Abraham Accords and citing Somaliland's fight against terrorism. Within days, Somalia's parliament declared the recognition "null and void," the UN Security Council held an emergency session, and 21 Muslim-majority nations issued a joint condemnation.

Updated 6 days ago

Election produced no winner between his bloc and Eisenkot's; Hebron operation continues

Hebron's governor said Israeli forces withdrew from the city on November 2 after a 10-day siege, and that families forced from their homes could return, Al Jazeera reported. The withdrawal came after Israel blew up the homes of the two gunmen who killed two soldiers at a checkpoint and displaced almost 5,000 Palestinians.

Updated Nov 2

Oversees intensified IDF strikes as campaign reaches halfway point

Brent reached $116 a barrel by November 1 as OPEC met and Saudi Arabia's economy contracted 3.8% under the cost of the war and disrupted oil exports. Saudi Arabia restarted the East-West pipeline and resumed loadings at Yanbu in late September, but attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz kept traffic about 70% below prewar levels. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center recorded 144 maritime incidents in the Hormuz region since February 28, making October the worst month of the war.

Updated Nov 1

His bloc won 53 seats and lost its parliamentary majority; he opened coalition talks with far-right allies on October 29

Blue and White finished withdrawing from the October 27 election on October 21, when every candidate on Benny Gantz's list signed resignation papers and the Central Elections Committee confirmed the party will not compete. Its ballot slips, printed with the letters "Ken," will not be handed out and are marked with an X on polling-station posters. Any slips found during the count, including at military and overseas polling stations, will be ruled invalid.

Updated Oct 30

Ordered to remove campaign videos from personal accounts in two rulings; total NIS 31,500 in combined costs. Vowed to form the next coalition after exit polls showed a stalemate.

Israel's Central Elections Committee chair, Justice Noam Sohlberg, ruled on October 4 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used state resources for election propaganda. He granted two of six petitions fully, three partly, and rejected one, ordering content removed from official and personal accounts. A second ruling on October 6 ordered Netanyahu to delete a Tel Nof Air Base video from his personal accounts and pay NIS 2,500, on top of NIS 29,000 already imposed.

Updated Oct 30

Ordered Hebron sealed and a West Bank-wide lockdown, which the army began enforcing on October 24. On October 28 he and Katz won a dispute with Chief of Staff Zamir, who had wanted to consider ending the Hebron operation; the operation continued and the army widened raids to Nablus and eight villages.

Israel's Hebron operation entered its seventh day on October 29, and the West Bank-wide lockdown is still in place. Hebron's governor says 537 families, or 3,361 people, have been forced from their homes, including 232 infants and 326 older people.

Updated Oct 30

In office

Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem on October 14. It is the tenth mission in the city and the largest from Latin America. The move came a day after Colombia and Israel restored their free trade agreement.

Updated Oct 27

Subject to ICC arrest warrant (issued in 2024)

The U.S. just sanctioned two sitting International Criminal Court judges—because they helped keep the Israel-related Gaza case alive. It's a rare thing in diplomacy: Washington using the same financial weapon it uses on oligarchs and terror networks against a courtroom.

Updated Oct 15

As of September 2026: Directing Israeli participation in strikes under Operation Roaring Lion

The US-Israeli war on Iran began February 28 and displaced up to 3.2 million people inside the country in two weeks, per the UN refugee agency.

Updated Sep 4

As of August 2026: Facing an election campaign while confirming the Abu al-Duhur strike and warning Turkey to stay off the base

Syria and Israel held US-mediated talks in Jordan on August 23, the highest-level session yet between the two governments. Syria's foreign minister led a delegation that included army and intelligence chiefs, but the meeting did not stop the attacks: Israel bombed targets near Damascus and in Lebanon days later.

Updated Aug 27

As of August 2026: Warned Israel would strike the site if material stays

For nineteen years, the ruins of a bombed reactor in eastern Syria held a stash of uranium no inspector could touch. Now Syria's new government says it will let the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), haul the material away. The move heads off an Israeli threat to bomb the site a second time.

Updated Aug 11

As of August 2026: Rejected the 15-point plan; facing an election in late October 2026

Israeli forces are staying in Gaza. On August 9, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the 15-point US-backed plan that would have traded a phased Israeli withdrawal for Hamas laying down its weapons. Hamas had accepted it. Netanyahu did not.

Updated Aug 10

As of July 2026: Israel signed the Trilateral Framework Agreement on June 26, conditioning any withdrawal on verified Hezbollah disarmament; Israeli strikes resumed on southern Lebanon two days after signing

The US, Israel, and Lebanon signed a 14-point Trilateral Framework Agreement in Washington on June 26. It ties Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon to Hezbollah disarmament — Lebanon's army must first deploy to pilot zones, clear Hezbollah out, and pass a US-led assessment. Washington pledged $100 million in aid.

Updated Jul 4

As of June 2026: Signed trilateral framework; overseeing partial IDF withdrawal from two positions in Lebanon

The November 2024 ceasefire collapsed on March 2, 2026, after US-Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting Hezbollah to resume rockets and Israel to launch a ground invasion with five divisions. By late June 2026, the war had killed over 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than a million, with Israeli forces occupying roughly 580 square kilometers of territory.

Updated Jun 27

As of May 2026: Faces unified opposition slate ahead of 2026 vote

Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, former Israeli prime ministers, briefly removed Benjamin Netanyahu from power in 2021. On April 26, they announced a merger of their parties into a slate called 'Together, Led by Bennett.' Netanyahu responded within hours. He posted a video showing the pair's 2021 coalition-signing ceremony with Arab party leader Mansour Abbas, captioned 'They did it once, they will do it again.'

Updated May 31

As of May 2026: Directed IDF to expand control to 70% of Gaza on May 29; overseeing expanded ground offensive; facing October 2026 elections with coalition under pressure from Bennett-Lapid Beyachad opposition

Ran Gvili's remains were recovered on January 26, 2026, ending the hostage crisis. Phase Two of Trump's peace plan fell apart by April: Hamas rejected the Board of Peace's disarmament proposal, and the Palestinian technocratic committee (NCAG) has no presence in Gaza. The Board of Peace has pledged $17 billion for reconstruction but has not disbursed a single dollar from its World Bank account.

Updated May 31

As of May 2026: Conducting parallel Israeli operations; publicly stated Israel will continue strikes regardless of US ceasefire

The United States and Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggering what Washington calls Operation Epic Fury. Iran has since fired more than 525 ballistic missiles at Israeli territory. Nearly half carried cluster warheads that scatter dozens of smaller bomblets across wide areas, a weapon type banned by over 100 nations.

Updated May 30

As of May 2026: Leading wartime coalition government

Israel's parliament voted 62-55 to approve the country's largest-ever state budget — 850.6 billion shekels ($271 billion) — with two days to spare before a legal deadline that would have dissolved the government and triggered new elections. The defense ministry alone received 143 billion shekels ($45.8 billion), reflecting the cost of ongoing military operations against Iran that are running at an estimated $480-550 million per day.

Updated May 30

As of May 2026: Oversaw wartime closures and subsequent reopening of holy sites

For roughly 270 years, under Ottoman, British, Jordanian, and Israeli rule, a delicate arrangement called the "status quo" has kept worship running at Jerusalem's holiest sites, even through wars and occupations. On Palm Sunday March 29, 2026, Israeli police broke that streak by turning away Cardinal Pizzaballa, the senior Catholic leader in Jerusalem, though only four church representatives were entering without a procession.

Updated May 30

As of May 2026: Directing Israeli operations under codename 'Roar of the Lion'

Iran's nuclear infrastructure has become the primary target of an intensifying US-Israeli air campaign that began February 28 and has now entered its sixth week. The Natanz uranium enrichment complex has been struck four times. On April 4, 2026, US and Israeli forces expanded the campaign to strike the Bushehr nuclear power plant and the Mahshahr petrochemical hub in southwestern Iran. The strikes killed at least one security guard and wounded five workers. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that strikes on civilian nuclear power plants cross 'the reddest line' of nuclear safety, raising the risk of a radiological catastrophe. Meanwhile, Iran has demonstrated growing military capability: on April 4, Iranian air defenses downed two US warplanes, marking the first confirmed loss of American aircraft in the conflict.

Updated May 30

As of May 2026: Authorized IDF ground operations in Lebanon alongside Defense Minister Katz

Israel's ground invasion of Lebanon, launched March 1, has systematically destroyed Litani River bridges. Strikes on April 4 targeted the Sohmor and Mashghara connections in eastern Lebanon.

Updated May 30

As of May 2026: Pressing for expanded Iran deal terms while facing corruption trial at home

Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington this week with a single message: any deal with Iran must go beyond uranium. After three hours in the Oval Office on February 11, President Trump emerged saying 'nothing definitive' was reached—but negotiations would continue.

Updated May 27

As of May 2026: Authorized the Odeh strike; rejecting calls to halt operations

Israeli warplanes struck a residential building in Gaza City's Remal neighborhood on Tuesday evening, killing Mohammed Odeh along with his wife and two sons. Odeh had led Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades for just eight days.

Updated May 27

As of May 2026: Ordered retaliatory expulsion of South African diplomat

South Africa and Israel have expelled each other's top diplomats, leaving neither country with a senior representative in the other. On January 30, 2026, South Africa declared Israeli chargé d'affaires Ariel Seidman persona non grata for using embassy social media to insult President Cyril Ramaphosa. Hours later, Israel reciprocated by expelling South Africa's chargé d'affaires Shaun Byneveldt. Both were ordered to leave within 72 hours.

Updated May 26

As of May 2026: Counseled Trump to delay strikes

Bazaar merchants bankrolled Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Now they're in the streets demanding its end.

Updated May 22

As of May 2026: Publicly rejecting Board of Peace composition, demanding full Hamas disarmament

Hamas governed Gaza since June 2007, but on January 15, 2026, a 15-member committee of Palestinian technocrats met in Cairo—none affiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. The next day, Trump announced the Board of Peace's leadership: himself as chair, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former UK PM Tony Blair, Jared Kushner (his son-in-law), special envoy Steve Witkoff, and others. By January 17, Netanyahu's office had declared the arrangement to be 'not coordinated with Israel and contrary to its policy.'

Updated May 21

As of May 2026: Facing ICC arrest warrant while managing ceasefire

A severe winter storm struck Gaza on January 13, 2026, collapsing war-damaged walls and killing at least 8 Palestinians, including a 7-day-old infant, a 1-year-old boy, and a 4-year-old girl who died of hypothermia. Cold-weather deaths have reached at least 23 since winter began; over 1.1 million people need shelter and 81% of Gaza's structures are destroyed or damaged.

Updated May 20

As of May 2026: Under investigation in BibiLeaks; on trial for corruption in three separate cases

Netanyahu's chief of staff was detained by Israel's national crime unit on January 11, 2026, suspected of obstructing an investigation into a September 2024 leak of classified Hamas documents to German tabloid Bild. The documents appeared to justify Netanyahu's resistance to a hostage deal and were published just days after six captives were found executed in a Rafah tunnel.

Updated May 20

As of May 2026: Leading a coalition reliant on pro-settlement hardliners

Israel's cabinet quietly signed off on 19 additional Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, then kept it classified for days. Some are brand-new recognitions; others are outposts that were illegal even under Israeli rules, now getting a state stamp.

Updated May 15

As of May 2026: Approved the export permit for the Leviathan-to-Egypt deal on 2025-12-17

A day after Israel approved the Leviathan-to-Egypt export permit, Egypt's State Information Service publicly stepped in to reframe the agreement as a strictly commercial arrangement concluded by private energy companies. The framing firewalls the gas lifeline from Gaza-war politics.

Updated May 15

As of May 2026: Publicly welcoming outside help, privately skeptical of outcomes

A Gaza force is being designed like it's real, but the December 16 Doha conference exposed disagreements over mandate and composition—U.S. Central Command convened 40+ countries to plan command structure, basing, and rules of engagement, yet failed to achieve consensus. Italy is the only country to formally commit troops; 15 nations declined and Turkey was excluded at Israel's insistence.

Updated May 15

As of May 2026: Defending continued military action during ceasefire; insisting Hamas disarmament is required

A senior Hamas commander is killed in a targeted Israeli strike. The next day, thousands pack the streets of Gaza for his funeral, coffins hoisted shoulder-high, flags everywhere, chants loud enough to carry the message: Hamas is still here.

Updated May 15

As of May 2026: Overseeing a long campaign to sideline UNRWA and reassert control in East Jerusalem

Israeli police and municipal officials rolled into a quiet UN compound in East Jerusalem before dawn. Motorbikes, trucks and forklifts smashed through UNRWA's former headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah, seizing equipment, cutting communications and hauling down the UN flag to raise Israel's own. UN officials say it was an unauthorized raid on inviolable UN premises; Israeli authorities insist it was just a municipal debt-collection move.

Updated May 10

As of May 2026: Heads the Israeli government that accepted the ceasefire's first phase; pressing for Hamas disarmament before any further Israeli withdrawal or international deployment

Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel triggered a war that lasted more than two years. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect October 10, 2025. At least 460 Palestinians have been killed and over 1,200 injured since the truce began.

Updated May 10