Netanyahu announces re-election bid and defends Iran war after US-Iran ceasefire deal draws criticism at home

Campaign launch amid diplomatic shift

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his candidacy for the upcoming October legislative elections during his first press conference since Washington and Tehran reached a preliminary accord to end hostilities. "I will run and I intend to win," Netanyahu told reporters on Monday, framing the ballot as a continuation of his long tenure that began almost uninterrupted in 2009, following an earlier term from 1996 to 1999.

War record and nuclear red line

Netanyahu placed the war against Iran at the centre of his pitch, arguing that Israeli strikes prevented a far graver outcome. "The most important thing is that we saved the State of Israel from the threat of nuclear annihilation," he said. He listed the destruction of air force assets, missiles, and sites tied to Iran's nuclear programme, and added a pledge: "With or without an agreement, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. Not today, not tomorrow. As long as I am Prime Minister of Israel, that will not happen."

A complicated alliance with Washington

The Israeli leader acknowledged friction with President Donald Trump but compared it to any close partnership. "The relationship between partners who know each other well involves agreeing on many things and sometimes disagreeing. That happens even in the best of families," Netanyahu said, a remark that came after Trump had publicly called him a "difficult person" and suggested he show more gratitude. Netanyahu added that Trump committed American forces to fight their "common enemy" and that he respects him, even while noting he has yet to study the details of the US-Iran deal.

Political headwinds and scepticism over the deal

The preliminary accord, which extends a ceasefire in place since 8 April by 60 days and sets a framework for future nuclear talks, has been widely seen in Israel as a setback. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett called it a "dangerous turn for Israel's security." Danny Citrinowicz, a former military intelligence officer, described it as a "political and security disaster" for Israel. Sima Shine, a former intelligence official at the Institute for National Security Studies, told AFP that key nuclear questions have been postponed to "a future about which we know nothing."

Permanent presence and public fatigue

Netanyahu stressed that Israeli forces would stay in security zones established in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria "for as long as necessary to protect our country." While he touted the weakening of the "axis of resistance" and the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, polling points to deep public discontent. An Israel Democracy Institute survey published on 9 June showed that 61 percent of Israelis believe he should not run again, a view shared by 57 percent of Jewish Israelis and 83 percent of Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Electoral arithmetic

Despite the headwinds, Netanyahu's Likud party had already confirmed his candidacy, and the prime minister insists he can assemble a winning coalition. Projections indicate that neither his current bloc nor the opposition can secure a parliamentary majority without Arab parties, leaving the race fluid months before the vote.