Israel's opposition decries 'electoral circus'
Five days before Israel's elections, the country's opposition chief accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dangerously politicising security ahead of elections, after he made a series of threats against Iran.
"I'm just stunned at hearing Netanyahu recklessly hurling around security threats," said former prime minister Yair Lapid, the centrist chief of Israel's parliamentary opposition and a contender in next Tuesday's election.
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has been focusing heavily on hawkish national security statements, with comparatively few voter interactions, in the final days of the campaign.
On October 21, Netanyahu said he had sent a directive to Israel's security forces to topple Iran's clerical state, following major US-backed strikes on the country last year and this year.
Netanyahu a day earlier posted a video of himself in front of a fighter jet speaking to US President Donald Trump by telephone saying they would "finish the job" together, after warning that Israeli forces were ready on a moment's notice.
Netanyahu is running neck and neck in recent polls against an opposition bloc that includes Lapid and is led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief.
Attack on King Fahd Airport
A resident was killed and 8 others were injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on the evening of Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) said early on Thursday.
The injuries ranged from minor to critical and all wounded were immediately transported to hospital to receive the necessary medical care, it added
The attack also caused property damage, the extent of which is currently being assessed.