JERUSALEM — Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on Saturday evening that he would task Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government, as conflict continues in the region.
Herzog has invited Eisenkot to the president's residence later on Sunday to formally receive the mandate, according to a statement from the Office of the President.
"This is the time to establish a national emergency government. I will do anything possible to prove us worthy," Eisenkot said on the social media platform X following the announcement.
Under Israeli law, the former military chief has 28 days to assemble a governing coalition and can request a 14-day extension from the president.
In the parliamentary recommendations submitted to Herzog, Eisenkot received backing from 48 lawmakers from four opposition-bloc parties, in addition to 19 representatives of Arab-led parties.
In the Oct 27 election, neither side secured a majority in a divided country reeling from the Oct 7,2023, attack by Hamas-led militants and the three years of wars that have followed in Gaza and beyond.
If Eisenkot fails, Herzog may assign the task to another candidate, or at least 61 members of the 120-seat parliament can ask the president to entrust the mandate to a candidate of their choice.
If these efforts also fail, the parliament will be dissolved, and the country will hold new elections.
Israeli incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was recommended by 46 lawmakers, while the seven members of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party declined to endorse either candidate.
Earlier on Saturday, Netanyahu called for a national unity government, warning against a government relying on Arab parties' support and accusing them of seeking Israel's destruction.
Despite securing the most recommendations, analysts say Eisenkot faces a challenging path to a 61-seat majority government, with divisions within the opposition over cooperation with Arab parties and disagreements with the two ultra-Orthodox parties, which together hold 13 seats.
It comes amid heightened risks to commercial shipping in the region after the Middle East conflict, which began when the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February.
On Saturday, US forces disabled a St. Kitts-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, saying it had attempted to breach the US naval blockade of Iran. The blockade has been enforced in and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global oil shipments.
Separately, the Iranian military said late on Saturday that two tankers had struck mines in the Hormuz area and caught fire. It did not identify the vessels' flags or destinations.
Iranian Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said the strategic waterway would remain closed until Tehran's demands were met by Washington.
He said Iran's forces "are on higher alert and are stronger than they were at the beginning of the war".
The latest developments follow Saudi airstrikes on Saturday near Sanaa, Yemen's capital that is held by the Houthis. Houthi officials said the strikes killed at least 27 people.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia intercepted incoming missiles targeting the kingdom's capital and other regions on Sunday, with falling debris damaging a building belonging to the state-owned oil giant Aramco in Riyadh's financial district.
AGENCIES-XINHUA
