Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will run for re-election this year, his party announced on Monday, after US President Donald Trump said he was not sure whether the Israeli prime minister would run again, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
In a brief statement, Netanyahu's Likud (Union) party said that he would run in the elections and, God willing, he would win.
The date of the elections has not yet been officially announced, but they are due to be held by October. This will be the first election since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 - the worst security failure in the country, which triggered the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, ABC News's chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl published in Ex that Trump told him that he did not know if Netanyahu would run. "I don't know, he has an incredible career. Does he want to continue?", the journalist quoted Trump as saying.
Netanyahu has endured a tumultuous term since returning to power in December 2022 at the head of the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history. He faced massive anti-government protests before the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Polls have repeatedly shown that his Likud-led coalition will fail to win a majority in the next election. A study published on June 9 by the Israel Democracy Institute research center in Jerusalem, showed that 61% of Israelis believe he should not run.
However, other surveys also show that a possible coalition of opposition parties would not be able to gather a parliamentary majority unless it forms a coalition with Arab parties, which some opposition leaders have already rejected.
American and Israeli officials say that Trump and Netanyahu, who together started the war with Iran in February, still maintain a close, albeit sometimes tense, relationship.
In recent weeks, Trump has asked Israel to limit its military actions in Lebanon while Washington negotiates a peace agreement with Tehran.
Last week, Trump admitted that he had called the Israeli prime minister "completely crazy" during a recent phone call, although he also said that the two get along well. He has repeatedly called on the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu on pending corruption charges, which Netanyahu denies.