JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he opposes early elections, as corruption probes linked to him intensify speculation over his future.
Israeli media have raised the possibility of a June poll, with graft investigations potentially weakening the premier’s ability to hold together his right-wing coalition.
“There is no reason for that to happen if there is good will,” Netanyahu said before departing for a visit to the US.
“For me, there is good will. I hope that the other (coalition) partners also have it.”
Israeli police recommended Netanyahu’s indictment in two corruption cases last month and investigations are continuing in others.
He and his wife Sara were questioned by police on Friday in a third case of alleged graft.
At the same time, there are signs that a split is emerging within his coalition that threatens to pull the government apart.
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties want a law passed to allow religious students to continue to be exempted from military conscription.
Other members of the coalition oppose such a law, but the ultra-Orthodox have threatened to block a 2019 budget that Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon wants to see approved this month.
Netanyahu opposes early polls as graft probes intensify
Netanyahu opposes early polls as graft probes intensify
Second drone in 24 hours found crashed in northwest Turkiye
- The authorities have pointed the finger at Russia for an unmanned aerial vehicle discovered on Friday near the city of Izmit
ISTANBUL: A drone of unknown origin has been found in Turkiye, less than a day after another unmanned aerial vehicle of suspected Russian origin crashed in the northwest, Turkish media reported on Saturday.
According to several independent television networks and the Cumhuriyet newspaper, the drone was found in an empty field near the town of Balikesir, some three hours southwest of Istanbul.
The Turkish authorities had yet to react to the news, but the Halk TV and Haberturk broadcasters reported that the drone was transported to Ankara for analysis.
Citing farmers, several media outlets reported that the crash appeared to have taken place days ago.
The incident, the third of its kind since Monday, comes after Turkiye warned both Russia and Ukraine against letting their ongoing war spill over elsewhere in the region.
The authorities have pointed the finger at Russia for an unmanned aerial vehicle discovered on Friday near the city of Izmit, around 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of the Black Sea, which has seen strikes on ships in recent weeks.
According to the Turkish interior ministry, which has opened an investigation, the drone “is believed to be of Russian-made Orlan-10 type used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes according to initial findings.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned against the Black Sea becoming an “area of confrontation” between Russia and Ukraine, which occupy the opposite shores of the body of water to Turkiye.
