Iran Says Israeli Election Won’t Change Policy

Israeli election exit polls showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot short of the 61 seats needed to govern, leaving coalition talks or another election possible; Arab-led parties could be pivotal, though both camps face obstacles to relying on them. The United States has warned regional allies to prepare for possible renewed strikes on Iran after the November 3 midterm elections and for Iranian retaliation, while reinforcing air and missile defenses and repositioning forces; President Donald Trump has not made a final decision. Officials fear retaliation against energy sites and a wider regional escalation, while analysts question whether further strikes would make Tehran yield. Iran says it is pursuing diplomacy and that Israel’s election will not change its policy, but Iranian hardliners are urging withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Hezbollah’s leader has vowed to maintain the group’s armed campaign regardless of who forms Israel’s next government, raising the risk that renewed fighting could spread beyond Iran.