The Israeli President assigns Eisenkot to form the government

On Saturday, the Israeli President chose Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strongest competitor, to form a new government, following elections that did not give either of them a clear path to power.

In addition, the Yashar Party, led by Eisenkot, called on members of the Likud Party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, and its allies, to join a coalition led by him.

Yashar (Mustaqim) wrote in a post on the

This came shortly after the outgoing Prime Minister called for the formation of a national unity government, warning at the same time that the alliance with the Arab parties would lead to the “disintegration” of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that the alliance between the opposition parties and the Arab parties will lead to the “disintegration” of the State of Israel.

He said in a recorded speech, “A government like this, relying on Islamists, will disintegrate the State of Israel from within, just as is happening in European countries, and even much worse than that,” referring to the protests taking place in some European countries.

Neither Netanyahu nor his competitor Gadi Eisenkot were able to achieve a majority in the October 27 elections, in light of a sharp division in Israeli society over Netanyahu.

Eisenkot expected that President Isaac Herzog would assign him to form the government when he announced his decision on Sunday. He wrote on the “X” platform: “We have made great progress and achieved breakthroughs quietly and humbly, while a lot is still going on behind the scenes.”

Yair Golan, the main leader of the left movement within the Eisenkot bloc, also indicated progress, saying: “I am more optimistic than I was on Wednesday morning after the election results came out.”

Eisenkot can form a coalition if he cooperates with the Arab parties, whose number of seats has increased significantly in light of dissatisfaction with the policies of the extreme right-wing Netanyahu government.

But this possibility faces strong opposition from his partner in the opposition, Avigdor Lieberman, a former aide to Netanyahu who has become a strong critic of him, but who adopts similar hard-line positions towards the Palestinians.

Lieberman, the leader of the “Israel Our Home” party, said on Friday that he would not back down from his refusal to ally with the Arab-Israeli parties, but he called on the opposition to negotiate with the religiously extremist Jewish parties, despite his sharp criticism of them over the years because of their members’ evasion of military service.

Lieberman considered that the two most important goals were to remove Netanyahu and avoid holding new elections, stressing that the time had come to make concessions and “realize that trying to get everything entails the risk of losing everything.”

He added in a statement posted on social media: “This also includes the issue of the conscription law.”

Months after imposing an ongoing naval blockade on Iran, the US military decided to form a task force to reinforce Washington's efforts to restrict Tehran's transfer of advanced weapons systems and other sanctioned materials across its land borders and the Caspian Sea.

The US Central Command (Centcom) announced that the formation of the task force, which will be called “Iron Gate,” will be based in Tampa, Florida, and will coordinate its work with other government agencies. In addition to weapons transfers, the task force will also focus on dual-use items and illicit sources of income.

Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of Central Command, said in a statement: “Enhancing Central Command’s cooperation with partners across US agencies will further limit Iran’s ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and rebuild its military capabilities.”

Central Command estimated that its naval blockade prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion worth of crude oil.

The formation of the task force is the latest evidence that the United States is still looking for ways to increase pressure on Tehran, more than eight months after it, alongside Israel, launched a war on Iran.

While US strikes have dealt devastating blows to Iran's conventional military, and the US naval blockade has severely restricted its exports of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, Iran still poses a major threat to the region, and its rulers have tightened their grip on the country.

An investigation conducted by Reuters concluded that Iran has established a secret network of military devices to import equipment, explosives, and heavy trucks worth at least two billion dollars since January 2025, bypassing the US naval blockade and Western sanctions.

The investigation indicated that the materials entered Iran on cargo ships via the Caspian Sea from Russia, on trucks from Central Asia, and on cargo planes from China.

US Central Command said the task force will coordinate with other government agencies. A US military official, who requested anonymity, said that those agencies are expected to include the departments of Treasury, State, and Justice, as well as the intelligence services.

The Iranian army said on Saturday that it had become “stronger” than it was when the United States and Israel began the war against it, while Qatar, which plays the role of mediator, announced that Washington was still committed to finding a diplomatic solution.

Diplomatic efforts are underway in recent days to prevent renewed military operations, after the United States threatened to launch large-scale strikes on Iran, despite Trump indicating progress in negotiations to end the war that broke out in February with the first US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said, during a speech he delivered on Friday evening in Oxford, that these efforts prevented the situation from getting “out of control.” He pointed out the continued desire of the Iranian and American parties “to take steps towards reaching a solution, and the importance of building on them, without waiting for an ideal agreement that would prevent reaching an agreement that reduces the escalation.”

This American desire comes after the midterm elections in which Donald Trump's party suffered a severe defeat.

On Friday, the US President made a phone call to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whose country is participating in the mediation with Iran, to discuss efforts made to end the war in the Middle East.

For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Saturday that he had communicated during the past forty-eight hours with 12 of his counterparts, including the foreign ministers of Turkey and Pakistan, who also play a mediating role in the conflict.

Army spokesman Mohammad Akrami Nia said that Iranian forces “are on high alert, and are stronger than they were at the beginning of the war, thanks to their experience in direct confrontation with America and the Zionist entity,” according to what was reported by the IRNA news agency.

He continued: “The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic have benefited from valuable military lessons learned from the direct confrontation with the United States, and have gained greater motivation, commitment, and self-confidence.” He said: “Based on the directives of the Leader of the Revolution, the response of the armed forces will be immediate, effective and without geographical restrictions, and this directive is the basis of the work of the armed forces.”

Akrami Nia also pointed out that the Iranian armed forces control the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that the strategic corridor will not be opened until Washington accepts Tehran’s conditions.

Since the outbreak of the war, Tehran has been seeking to restrict shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global fuel consumption passed.