We removed an immediate existential threat that hung over us, the danger of immediate destruction. We struck the Iranian regime and brought it to the edge of the abyss.

Iran is weaker than ever; Israel is stronger than ever.”He said Israel had a “historical opportunity” together with United States President Donald Trump “to remove the existential threat of Iran once and for all”.Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at Likud’s election headquarters in Jerusalem, on October 28, 2026 [Ammar Awad/Reuters]Possible ‘uncomfortable’ coalitionAlon Pinkas, a former Israeli ambassador who served as consul general of Israel in New York City, said the party that secures the majority of seats may have to seek an uncomfortable coalition deal in order to govern.But he said opposition voters would not want the bloc to strike a deal with Netanyahu’s coalition.Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, says Netanyahu attempted to put on a “brave face” about his party’s prospects during his speech in Jerusalem.“It’s clear that he’s trying also to project a kind of success that he doesn’t merit. One, because he cannot form a coalition, but two, the idea that he is the largest party in Israel kind of hides the fact that this is the lowest Likud has reached since 2009.”Political analyst Dan Perry told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu used his speech to “spin the situation as best as he could” after exit polls were released.