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.
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sometime on Monday.
US legislators discuss Biden's Iran attack response • UN chief declines to condemn attack
The Prime Minister’s Office denied this report, calling it “the opposite of the truth.”
Comparing PM Netanyahu's claims in 2017 to unfolding events in 2024.
A retaliatory strike initially proposed by some Israeli cabinet members, was called off following a phone call between Netanyahu and Biden on Saturday.
Israel shoots down nearly all Iranian projectiles • Hamas rejects hostage deal • Bedouin girl seriously wounded in Iranian attack
The villa, located in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem, is a property the Netanyahu couple has intermittently used over recent years, and it features an advanced missile shelter.
Demonstrations have taken place in recent weeks, advocating for the release of the Gaza hostages that are still held by Hamas, with the families of the hostages calling for an end to the war.
Tensions rise in the West Bank after the murder of 14-year-old Binyamin Achimair. Violent clashes erupt as his body is discovered, sparking concerns of escalating violence.
Netanyahu ordered the IDF, Shin Bet, and the Israel Police to carry out intense operational and intelligence activity in the Palestinian villages in the area of the disappearance.
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