Netanyahu said weighing snap elections in light of popular Iran offensive

Channel 12 reports PM may seek to capitalize on expected boost in support, would run on plans for normalization with Saudi Arabia, preventing a Palestinian state

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the scene where an Iranian ballistic missile impacted, causing damage at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, June 20, 2025. (Itai Ron/Pool via Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the scene where an Iranian ballistic missile impacted, causing damage at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, June 20, 2025. (Itai Ron/Pool via Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his inner circle are weighing snap elections in light of Israel’s offensive against Iran, which won widespread support among the public and has been broadly seen as a success, according to a Monday night report.

Associates of the premier are encouraging him to take advantage of the military campaign and the boost in popularity it is likely to generate at the ballot box, Channel 12 said.

According to the report, Netanyahu would run on the promise of normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia and preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu has been struggling in polls since the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, with surveys forecasting he would fall far short of the seats needed to form a legislative majority if elections were held. However, a poll taken late last week showed his Likud party rising.

At a press conference on Sunday, Netanyahu indicated his intention to seek reelection, saying he still had “many missions” to complete, and would seek to do so for as long as “the people” of Israel want him to.

Though a national vote is currently only mandated to take place in October 2026, it is not unlikely that the government will fall before then, as Netanyahu faces various potential coalition crises.

Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and his wife Sara cast their ballot at a polling station in Jerusalem in the country’s fifth election in less than four years on November 1, 2022. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)

The prime minister is anticipating several hurdles during the Knesset’s next legislative session this fall, particularly the ongoing fight over his Haredi allies’ demands for a bill to exempt yeshiva students from military service.

Some political observers also doubt he will be able to pass next year’s budget, which must account for costs incurred in Israel’s ongoing multifront wars, with his coalition allies expected to squabble and harden positions.

For these reasons, disbanding the government early on his own terms could be beneficial for the long-serving prime minister, potentially allowing him to strengthen his right-wing Likud party in the Knesset.

The failure to pass a law exempting yeshiva students from IDF service nearly brought down Netanyahu’s coalition earlier this month, as the two ultra-Orthodox parties in his coalition, United Torah Judaism and Shas, threatened to dissolve the Knesset.

During the coalition crisis in early June, a Channel 12 poll found that former prime minister Naftali Bennett would beat Netanyahu in elections, amid the protracted war in Gaza and perceived capitulation to Haredi interests.

Smoke rises up from an oil facility after it appeared to be hit by an Israeli strike in southern Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo)

That trend may be reversing, however, after a Channel 13 poll on June 19 showed Netanyahu’s Likud party climbing from 24 to 27 seats, regaining its position as the largest party in the Knesset, although Likud and the current coalition parties were shown winning only 50 of the 120 Knesset seats between them.

Israel’s offensive against Iran may have improved Netanyahu’s image in the eyes of voters, with the aerial campaign widely viewed as a triumph and American military assistance — the US dropped bombs on three key Iranian nuclear facilities early Sunday, ostensibly causing them heavy damage — seen as a major victory for Netanyahu.

In a campaign-style visit to a local shawarma restaurant in the central city of Rishon Lezion on Monday, following a visit to the site of an Iranian missile strike, the prime minister was greeted by crowds of well-wishers who loudly sang the pro-Netanyahu ballad “Bibi, King of Israel” — highlighting the fact that despite falling in the polls over the last year, he retains a fiercely loyal base.

Sam Sokol contributed to this report.

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