Netanyahu bloc leads Israeli election count with 63 seats at 25% tally

Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc held a lead of 63 seats to 49 for the opposing coalition led by Gadi Eisenkot, according to partial results published by Israel's Central Election Committee after 25.2% of ballots had been counted.

With 3,024 of more than 12,000 polling stations tallied, Netanyahu's Likud party stood first with 282,772 votes, or 23.36% of the count. Eisenkot's Yesh Atid-aligned list placed second with 190,524 votes, or 15.74%. Naftali Bennett's Together party ranked third with 103,220 votes, representing 8.53%.

The remaining seats in the partial count went to the Joint List, an Arab-majority grouping not aligned with either bloc. The committee noted that ballots cast in double envelopes — including those of military personnel — had not yet been counted.

Voter turnout reached 77%, described as a record. Netanyahu said the vote represented a historic opportunity and called for the formation of a strong right-wing national government. Eisenkot told Netanyahu that a leader worthy of the office would have resigned.

Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported that the United States had warned several Gulf Arab states to prepare for a brief but intense military offensive against Iran, expected after the US midterm elections. The report said the US military was moving a Patriot missile battery from Texas and repositioning troops from bases potentially exposed to Iranian fire. The White House said it would not comment on sensitive military plans whose existence it said remained unverified, but added that President Donald Trump kept all options available regarding Iran.