Netanyahu Faces Challengers

Wars with Iran and its proxies haven’t gone according to plan for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that could mean trouble for Israel’s longest-serving prime minister in elections scheduled for later this year.

VERBATIM:
At the start of the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran in late February, Netanyahu said the goal was to degrade the Islamic Republic’s military, eradicate its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and create the conditions for its overthrow.

While Iran’s military has been badly damaged, it is still a threat to neighbors and ships in the Strait of Hormuz – and Netanyahu’s other goals remained unfulfilled when a ceasefire was announced earlier this month.

Netanyahu’s government is in the final months of its four-year term and is required to hold elections by the end of October.

Two opposition politicians – Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid – announced Sunday that they would join forces in the next election.

Bernie Bennett reporting.