Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister of Israel since its inception.
Born in Tel Aviv on October 21, 1949, he grew up in Jerusalem before moving with his family to Pennsylvania during his high school years, where his father taught history. In 1967 Netanyahu returned to Israel and joined the IDF's Sayeret Matkal special forces unit, where he served until 1973.
He took part in many military operations, including a 1972 rescue mission of hostages in a hijacked Sabena airplane, during which he was shot in the shoulder. Netanyahu finished his military service in 1972, but returned to serve in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, after which he was promoted to the rank of Captain.
His brother Yonatan "Yoni," an IDF officer, was killed during Operation Entebbe in 1976 at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda where Israelis were being held hostage. His was the only death resulting from the mission.
He has degrees in architecture and business management from MIT. He also studied political science at MIT and Harvard University. He served as Israel's ambassador to the UN from 1984-1988, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Ariel Sharon's government.
In 1993 Netanyahu was elected Likud party chairman and served as the leader of the opposition until being elected prime minister in 1996. In 2009, he was elected prime minister for the second time, in January 2013 a third, and in March 2015 a fourth.
He is married to Sara Netanyahu with whom he has two children, Yair and Avner.
In 2018, the Mossad stole Iran's nuclear archive. Netanyahu later presented the information to the international community. Netanyahu strongly opposes a nuclear deal with Iran.
Under the rotation government set by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Netanyahu serves as the leader of the opposition.
In a recent election poll, Gantz weakens slightly but remains stable, as voters continue to see him as a viable option for prime minister over Netanyahu.
The US reaffirms opposition to the war in Lebanon amidst tensions. Diplomatic discussions with Israel continue, and the White House emphasizes the anti-Hamas stance.
The attorney general, possibly with good intentions, may have wrecked the idea of a real court deadline with teeth that can get anyone to make hard choices on this fateful issue.
As families worry about the fate of their loved ones, N12 reported that Netanyahu was presented with a framework for a deal but rejected it.
"The tone throughout here has been businesslike and it's been professional and we expect that it's going to stay that way," said spokesman John Kirby.
There’s a consensus - in the government, in the Knesset, and in the country – that the IDF will have to take on Hamas in Rafah. That doesn’t seem likely to change, regardless of who is PM.
The mothers concluded, “For us families, 174 days have no day and no night, and certainly no respite. Prime Minister, you are responsible for the return of our sons. The commitment is yours.”
Before leaving on yet another recess, the House was thrown into one more crisis when conspiracy theorist and Jewish space laser discoverer Marjorie Taylor Greene tossed one of her trademark bombs.
That different mode of operation helps explain why trust in the IDF, and its leader, is on the rise, while trust in the government, and its head, is going in the opposite direction.
Benny Gantz threatened earlier this week to leave the government if an unsatisfactory conscription bill passes into law.