Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared set to remain in power after Tuesday’s election left his opponents short of the seats needed to unseat him, as he raised the prospect of renewed military action against Iran alongside the United States.
With nearly all votes counted on Wednesday, projections by Israel’s three main broadcasters gave Netanyahu’s bloc of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, against 48 for the opposition led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.
Arab parties were projected to win a record 19 seats.
Neither bloc secured a majority, but the opposition's weaker-than-expected performance left Eisenkot with little prospect of forming a government without support from Arab parties, an arrangement many Jewish political leaders oppose.
Netanyahu is therefore likely to remain caretaker prime minister while coalition negotiations proceed or until another election is held.
President Isaac Herzog has said that Israel must avoid heading to the polls again after Tuesday’s vote.
“We need to do everything, certainly after yesterday, so as not to hold another election,” he said.
‘Once and for all’
Addressing supporters in Jerusalem early Wednesday, Netanyahu called for a “strong, right-wing national government” and highlighted Israel’s military successes, including its operations against Iran.
“Israel faces a singular historical opportunity, together with our partner President Trump, to remove the existential threat of Iran once and for all. But ulterior motives must not divert us from this sacred mission,” he said.
His remarks raised the prospect of renewed joint military action against Tehran at a time of heightened tensions and diplomatic efforts to avert another round of fighting.
Trump, who had urged Israelis to reelect Netanyahu so the two leaders could “finish the job” in Iran, praised his performance and credited his own endorsement.
“It might be winning or tie. The tie is sort of considered a win in that case because it's a big chess match,” Trump said Wednesday during a campaign stop in Texas.
Eisenkot, meanwhile, acknowledged that Netanyahu would remain in office as a caretaker but argued that the prime minister had lost public support and should retire from politics.
He also warned security and civil service officials against allowing Netanyahu to use national security for political purposes.
“Remember that you serve only the state and the interests of Israel's citizens. Stand firm in the face of any attempt to challenge you,” Eisenkot said. “Netanyahu, do not dare use Israel’s security for your political needs.”
Turnout reached 77.7%, the highest in more than two decades, with particularly strong participation among Arab voters.
Their parties' projected gains could give them an unusually influential role in determining whether an alternative government can be formed.
Two men appeared in a London court on Tuesday over an incident at a British air base used by US bombers to strike Iran, with prosecutors alleging that one of them sought to assist Iranian intelligence.
British national Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, a 24-year-old dual British-Iranian national, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on charges under Britain's National Security Act.
RAF Fairford in southwest England had been used by US bombers carrying out strikes on Iran. The aircraft were withdrawn on security grounds shortly after five British men were arrested outside the base in the early hours of September 27.
Prosecutors said Abdulkarim arranged for five men to travel to the base in three vans at the request of a man identified only as “Ali.”
The group bought around £300 ($400) worth of petrol and stored it in drums, prosecutor Louise Gray told the court.
“One of them was told there was a bomb in the van,” Gray said. One of the men then called the emergency services, prompting police to arrive.
Abdulkarim, who appeared in court in a wheelchair, is charged with engaging in conduct likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service between August 31 and September 28.
Reconnaissance of US-used base
Essghir was first arrested outside RAF Fairford on September 27 and is accused of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom on August 22.
Prosecutors said he had carried out reconnaissance of the base in August on instructions from “Ali” and was also in one of the vans that returned to Fairford the following month.
After the men were told there was a bomb in the van, Essghir messaged “Ali” asking “wtf (what the fuck) is going on,” Gray said. He received no reply.
The circumstances surrounding the September incident have remained largely unexplained and attracted international attention amid heightened concerns about the security repercussions of the US-Iran war for Western countries.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said earlier this month that the activity at RAF Fairford was likely coordinated in Iran. Tehran's ambassador to Britain denied the allegation.
Abdulkarim was granted bail and is due to appear in court again in November, while Essghir was remanded in custody.
Police said six other people remain on bail, including four British nationals arrested outside RAF Fairford on September 27.
The decision to release suspects on bail following the incident had drawn scrutiny. Police said on Tuesday that doing so had helped investigators secure the charges against Abdulkarim and Essghir.
Voting in Israel's election was drawing to a close Tuesday, with Iran a central issue and turnout reaching its highest level at this stage since 1988.
Early exit polls in Israel's parliamentary elections on Tuesday pointed to a divided Knesset, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition nor the opposition securing enough seats to form a majority on its own.
Projections by Israel's Channels 12 and 13 showed the two blocs closely matched, with Arab parties collectively holding a potentially decisive number of seats in the 120-member parliament.
Channel 12 projected 52 seats for the opposition bloc, 50 for Netanyahu's bloc and 18 for Arab parties. Channel 13 put the opposition at 53 seats, Netanyahu's bloc at 50 and Arab parties at 17. Both projections left the main blocs short of the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.
The exit polls are preliminary and could change as votes are counted.
Record vote
“We have surpassed all the records kept by the Central Elections Committee,” acting director general Dean Livne said. “There hasn’t been such a nationwide voter turnout since 1973.”
Long lines prompted election officials to say polling stations would remain open beyond their scheduled 10 p.m. closing time if voters were still waiting.
“We promise, everyone will vote,” Livne said. “If there is a line at 10 p.m., the polling stations will continue to operate until everyone who arrived by 10 p.m. has voted.”
Iran factor
Iran has featured prominently in the closing days of the campaign.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu clashed with military chief Eyal Zamir over proposed action related to Iran that Zamir feared could trigger renewed conflict. Netanyahu denied the reports, while Defense Minister Israel Katz called reports of a rift baseless.
Eisenkot backed Zamir, accusing Netanyahu of putting his political survival ahead of national security and warning that he would not allow the military to become a tool in Netanyahu’s “campaign of survival.”
Another opposition leader, Avigdor Liberman, went further, saying any attempt to drag Israel into military action to prevent the election would amount to treason.
Eisenkot, like Netanyahu, says Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons and has backed military strikes against its nuclear program.
But he has rejected Netanyahu’s pursuit of regime change in Tehran as an achievable military objective and argued for combining economic pressure and diplomacy with military action when necessary.
Earlier this month, Eisenkot said another attack would be justified if Iran were making a dash for a nuclear weapon, but said he was unaware of any development requiring an immediate strike.
The result is being followed closely in Iran, where Israel’s next government will inherit decisions over whether and under what circumstances to resume military action against Tehran.
Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey opened talks with Iranian authorities in Tehran on Monday, following increased Iran-backed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and renewed warnings of military action between Tehran and Washington.
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will travel to Tehran, Reuters reported on Monday, citing Saudi and Iranian officials.
Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, confirmed the visit.
The initiative was proposed during Munir's visit to Tehran last week, when he met President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials, according to a senior Iranian official.
Iranian media reported that officials told Munir they would not negotiate with Washington until Tehran's demands were met.
Defense pact faces first major test
The visit marks the first high-level meeting between Iran and all three members of the Mecca defense pact since the escalation of hostilities.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the agreement in August, establishing that a military attack on one member would be considered an attack on all three.
Pakistan has ratified the pact, while ratification remains pending in Turkey's parliament.
Earlier this month, the three countries agreed to implement their defense commitments and rapidly deploy military personnel and capabilities to Saudi Arabia.
The agreement faces its first significant test following increased Houthi attacks on Saudi territory.
Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that it had intercepted another wave of missiles and drones.
The visit is intended to reduce hostilities and support mediation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan, Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister for Public Diplomacy Raed bin Khalid Qarmali said earlier.
US-Iran confrontation
Qatari officials also visited Tehran on Sunday for talks with Iranian authorities.
Previous mediation by Qatar and Pakistan helped secure a temporary halt to hostilities, but the agreement collapsed when fighting resumed.
Indirect contacts between Tehran and Washington have continued through both mediators, a process also referenced by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of renewed military operations against Iran on Friday.
Iranian officials have warned that any further attack would trigger a stronger response.
The diplomatic meetings come as Saudi Arabia seeks to prevent the conflict from spreading to its critical infrastructure, putting the Mecca defense pact and regional mediation efforts under growing pressure.
A man accused of plotting attacks on Iran International journalists told a London court on Thursday that his Iranian handlers had instructed him to break one journalist’s arms and legs and assault another to stop him from criticizing the Islamic Republic.
Mostafa Sepahvand told Woolwich Crown Court that he had been asked to attack Iran International journalists Kambiz Hosseini and Mojtaba Pourmohsen, as well as two other people, Alon Farago and Jonathan Turner.
Asked by prosecutor Emlyn Jones what those behind the alleged operation wanted him to do, Sepahvand replied: “To hit them.”
“They asked me to hit Jonathan and scare him off; they asked me to break Kambiz's arms and legs; they asked me to hit Pourmohsen to stop him writing about the regime,” he said.
Sepahvand, 41, is on trial alongside Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57. All three deny charges under Britain's National Security Act.
Prosecutors say the men gathered information for Iranian intelligence in preparation for serious violence against people critical of Tehran.
Sepahvand acknowledges conducting surveillance but says he only appeared to cooperate because of threats against him and his family and never intended to hurt anyone. Instead, he says, he deliberately tried to frustrate the operation.
“I played them,” he has repeatedly told the court.
Prosecutors challenge his account
Cross-examining Sepahvand on Thursday, Jones directly challenged that defense, suggesting his claims that he had been deceiving the Revolutionary Guards were explanations invented after his arrest.
“What I am suggesting is that every time you said ‘I was playing the IRGC,’ you were lying,” Jones said.
“No, that was not the case,” Sepahvand replied.
The prosecution questioned Sepahvand about visits he made to addresses he had been given and photographs and videos taken during the alleged surveillance.
Sepahvand acknowledged going to an address associated with Pourmohsen and taking a photograph, but denied that he was preparing an attack.
“I go there, I get a picture, I go back home,” he said. “They ask me to hit them, I play them.”
Jones argued that Sepahvand's repeated visits, searches and complaints about inadequate information showed that he was carrying out groundwork for the alleged attacks rather than trying to sabotage them.
Sepahvand insisted that he deliberately told his contacts that addresses were wrong, exaggerated the difficulty and expense of finding the targets and repeatedly delayed carrying out their instructions.
He said that had he encountered the journalists, he would have warned them. “If I saw them I'd tell them that IRGC was after them and you have to escape,” he told the court.
£150,000 demand questioned
Jones also challenged Sepahvand over his repeated demands for money, including messages in which he said he would complete the job for £150,000.
Sepahvand said the demands were another delaying tactic because money was a “weak spot” for the people directing him.
“If I wanted to accept the money, I would have accepted £30,000,” he told the court, referring to a smaller payment discussed earlier in the alleged operation.
Jones questioned why Sepahvand would have been in a position to demand payment if, as he maintains, he had agreed to cooperate only because Iranian operatives were threatening him and his family.
Sepahvand said he had told them he would need a team and money to carry out the attacks but maintained that he never intended to do so.
“They wanted to force me and I didn't do it,” he said.
Sepahvand became increasingly agitated during the cross-examination, repeatedly raising the case of Navid Imami, a man he says was connected to the Iranian embassy in London and had supplied information about the targets.
The judge called a break after Sepahvand repeatedly interrupted Jones and later warned him that if he continued shouting or repeating his defense rather than answering questions, the jury could conclude that he did not have answers to the prosecution's case.
Sepahvand testified Wednesday that he had met Imami at the Iranian embassy in February 2025 while the alleged operation was under way.
He maintains that pressure on members of his family in Iran forced him to maintain contact with the people directing the operation and that his apparent cooperation was intended to protect others without carrying out the attacks.
The prosecution's cross-examination of Sepahvand is due to continue when the trial resumes Monday.
Israel has barred a United Airlines pilot of Iranian descent from serving on flights to the country over unverified social media allegations that he supported Iran's government, the Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah, Ynet reported Wednesday.
Israel's Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry alerted security and transportation officials on October 19 to allegations circulating on X about the pilot, Sina Amjadian, according to a ministry letter obtained by Ynet.
The letter included two posts from X. One alleged that Amjadian, who was said to have previously worked for flydubai, had shared content supporting Iran's government, including a video in which he purportedly kissed and saluted its emblem.
The other alleged that he had expressed support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah and called on United Airlines to investigate his conduct.
Ynet said it could not independently verify the allegations and that the material submitted to Israeli authorities did not include original statements or social media posts by Amjadian.
The allegations nevertheless prompted a security review and a decision to prohibit Amjadian from serving as a crew member on flights to Israel, senior Transportation Ministry officials told Ynet.
The Diaspora Affairs Ministry said the warning followed an attempted attack aboard a flydubai flight bound for Israel in late September, during which a co-pilot attacked the captain and attempted to seize control of the aircraft.
The incident prompted Israel's National Command and Control Center for Combating Antisemitism to expand its monitoring to people who might pose a threat to aviation security, according to the ministry.
It said the allegations concerning Amjadian warranted security scrutiny because of the responsibilities of an international airline pilot and the potential risks to passengers and crew.
Transportation Ministry officials told Ynet that the ministry did not independently monitor social media or gather intelligence but coordinated with security agencies when information raised aviation safety concerns.
They said preventing a pilot from operating flights to Israel was separate from denying the individual entry to the country, which falls under the authority of border control officials.
Ynet said it remained unclear whether Amjadian had previously flown to Israel, had been scheduled to operate a flight to Ben Gurion Airport or was qualified to fly aircraft used by United Airlines on its Israel routes.
There was no indication that any flight had been canceled or prevented from reaching Israel because of the restriction.
