Israel's election has a high turnout, lifting opposition hopes of beating Netanyahu

Israeli voters flocked to the polls in record numbers on Tuesday in a pivotal national election, aiming to decide whether to continue under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition or to choose a new course. As early exit polls were broadcast, Netanyahu appeared to be in a close race against his primary rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the opposition parties.

Although no party secured an outright majority, the preliminary results seemed to favor Eisenkot's bloc with 52 seats, compared to the 50-seat governing coalition led by Netanyahu. With 77.7% of eligible voters casting their ballots, the turnout marked the highest since 1999, particularly driven by those seeking to unseat Netanyahu after two decades in office.

Despite the uncertainty, opposition leaders quickly hailed the preliminary results as a victory for the beleaguered prime minister.