Israeli Election Exit Polls Show No Clear Majority as Iran War Looms

Israelis voted Tuesday in a national election in which exit polls from major television networks projected that a majority voted against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, though his Likud party still finished as the largest single party. Neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition appears to hold a clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset, and either would likely struggle to build a coalition. Israel's two Arab parties won more seats than ever before; Arab citizens are about 20% of the population. Netanyahu and his opponents have both vowed not to form a government that relies on Arab parties. Netanyahu has pledged to finish the job against Iran if Likud wins, and President Donald Trump has endorsed him. The vote came on day 242 of the Iran war, as IAEA chief Rafael Grossi urged Iran at the U.N. Security Council to give inspectors immediate access to verify its nuclear materials.

Right-leaning Fox News is the outlier: its piece, a Bill Hemmer Power Rankings column, covers the U.S. midterms a week away, with five Senate races in toss-up territory, Trump and Vice President JD Vance campaigning, and a survey showing Democrats up 11 points on the generic ballot. Iran appears in its headline, but the opening does not discuss Israel's vote. Left-leaning CBS News leads with the exit polls, coalition arithmetic, record Arab party gains and Arab voters describing a hard time under Netanyahu, and adds Grossi's appeal. The alternative American Conservative offers a distinct angle: strong early turnout, Trump's endorsement, a Monday meeting in Tehran between Iranian officials and Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani security officials, and Brent crude near $115 with U.S. gasoline at $4.27.