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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will contest elections scheduled for later this year, as he faces growing domestic criticism over his wartime leadership.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has led the country through three years of conflict on multiple fronts and is also currently standing trial on corruption charges.
He has faced increasing pressure from opposition figures who accuse him of failing to deliver on the war objectives he outlined following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel.
Speaking at a televised press conference on Monday, his first remarks following a US-Iran agreement to end the Middle East war triggered by earlier US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Netanyahu said he intends to seek re-election.
“I am going to run in the elections and intend to win,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli political figures across the spectrum criticised the US-Iran agreement on Monday, arguing that it fails to safeguard Israel’s security interests.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, a leading contender in the next election, described the deal as a “dangerous turn for Israel’s security.”
Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party had earlier confirmed that the 76-year-old plans to run in the election, expected by the end of October, following speculation raised by United States President Donald Trump over whether he would contest.
The veteran leader has served multiple terms as prime minister over nearly two decades and has also recently dealt with health concerns.
