Israel's Arab-led political factions have put forward Gadi Eisenkot as their candidate for prime minister, according to Sky TG24, as President Isaac Herzog works through consultations with party leaders at his residence. The endorsement lands as Benjamin Netanyahu's support base shows signs of strain: the ultra-Orthodox United Judaism faction told Herzog it would not name any candidate for forming a government and said it does not consider itself tied to any bloc, Sky TG24 reports. The same consultations saw the far-right Religious Zionism party conclude its meeting with the president, with the ultra-Orthodox Sephardi Shas party, led by Aryeh Deri, next in line.
The process is the formal step in which each party tells the president whom it proposes for the premiership. The names put forward are not themselves the outcome; they inform whom Herzog tasks with assembling a coalition.
Why it matters
The backing of Arab-led parties for a former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff marks a notable alignment in a political system where Arab factions have historically stayed outside governing coalitions. It also comes as the parties that have anchored Netanyahu's right-wing blocs decline to commit to him — a shift that, if it holds, narrows his path back to the premiership. Sky TG24 frames the moment as Netanyahu's position being in the balance.
Separately, Il Sole 24 ORE reported that the Arab party Ra'am had named Eisenkot for premier, while Domani reported that ultra-Orthodox parties had declined to put forward a candidate for prime minister, describing a decline in support for Netanyahu.
Eisenkot's first planned move
According to Ynet, as cited in the reporting, Eisenkot intends to make a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre his first act — and to establish it through legislation passed by the Knesset rather than by a government decision. The report says the former IDF chief is preparing to take control of committee business even before coalition negotiations begin.
In parallel, leaders of the Change Bloc parties have decided to set up between six and eight special committees to handle legislative changes, according to the same reporting. Their work would cover two tracks: repealing the judicial overhaul laws and advancing urgent bills that could pass with the parliamentary majority Netanyahu's opponents hold in the Knesset.
Iran warnings and regional tensions
Beyond Israel's coalition arithmetic, the reporting carries several Iran-related developments. Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, told Euronews that if the United States uses its bases in Europe — including those in Italy and Germany — Iranian missiles would be fired toward Europe, according to Sky TG24. The statement followed orders from Mojtaba Khamenei for a response "without geographic restrictions" to any hostile threat, the outlet reported.
On the diplomatic front, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei rejected a claim by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas that Iran is interfering in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Iranian state television IRIB reported. Baghaei said the EU shares responsibility for serious human rights violations in Yemen through its participation in sanctions and an economic blockade on the Yemeni people, and argued that European officials cannot set aside their own responsibilities with general comments. He also categorically denied allegations that Iranian military experts are present in Yemen, saying Yemenis need no outside party's intervention. Baghaei said establishing peace on the Arabian peninsula requires an end to military attacks, respect for Yemenis' right to self-determination, an end to the naval and air blockade, and dialogue based on a roadmap agreed between Yemenis and Saudi Arabia — and said Iran is ready to offer any assistance to that end.
In the United States, Steve Bannon urged Donald Trump to set up an inquiry commission into the American war against Iran and to make its findings public, arguing the step is needed for the president to regain Americans' trust. Bannon, a former White House strategist, said Israeli institutions should cooperate by making their documents accessible, according to the reporting.
Russian and Iranian officials also signed a package of documents for the Rasht-Astara railway project, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Nikitin told journalists, according to Tass. Nikitin said the Russian company Caspian Services and the Iranian company Cdtic signed a protocol granting access to land along the entire route for preliminary engineering surveys, along with a supplementary agreement to the contract.
Iranian state television reported that General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, delivered a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that the two met and spoke at the Kremlin.
The Guardian, citing leaked defense-sector documents obtained by the Ukrainian private intelligence firm Dallas Analytics, reported that Russia organized the supply to Iran of 90 launchers for advanced guided missiles. The documents, shared with the British newspaper, reportedly detail plans to provide Iran with launchers for the Lmur, a guided missile fired from attack helicopters and widely used by Russian forces against Ukrainian targets since the full-scale invasion in 2022. The reporting references a production plan drawn up in May.
Gaza casualties reported
Gaza media reported on X that a 54-year-old woman, Noura Suleiman Mohammed Sheikh al-Eid, was killed by IDF gunfire in the Bir 19 area, south of Gaza, according to the reporting. A man was reported wounded elsewhere in the Strip, and a raid was reported in al Shati, west of Gaza City.
What to watch next is Herzog's choice of whom to task with forming a government, and whether the ultra-Orthodox parties' refusal to commit to any bloc hardens into a durable position.
