Netanyahu's Likud Party Erects 'Enemies of Netanyahu' Billboards Ahead of Israeli Election
The Likud party, led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has erected giant billboards featuring the faces of figures it considers enemies of Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani are among those displayed on the billboards.
According to CNN on Tuesday (25/8/2026), the giant billboards were installed last week on a major highway in Tel Aviv, at the heart of Netanyahu’s election campaign. Netanyahu and Likud are set to contest the Israeli election scheduled for late October.
In addition to the faces of Erdogan and Mamdani, the billboards also feature Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem. The billboards carry Hebrew text reading: ‘They Want Netanyahu to Lose, Don’t Let Them Win’.
Netanyahu’s camp has begun deploying a narrative to retain power ahead of the Israeli election. Days after the billboards were installed, Israel openly made Turkey the focus of its latest military confrontation.
Israeli fighter jets struck the Abu al-Dahar airbase in northern Syria. The attack targeted Turkish forces and military assets that Israel now views as a significant threat.
US Presidential Envoy for Syria and US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, openly criticised Israel over the strike on the Syrian base. Barrack suggested a political motive, advancing the theory that Israel was merely attempting to provoke Turkey. He described the action as “a very aggressive move, but perhaps politically advantageous ahead of the general election.”
Officially, Israel stated that the strike was purely an operational necessity. Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz both said Israeli intelligence had detected Turkish preparations to deploy troops and equipment at the airbase.
According to the Syrian state news agency, on Sunday (23/8), Roman Goffman, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, met again with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Jordan to ease the latest tensions.
Turkey, the United States, and several of Netanyahu’s domestic political rivals have highlighted the timing of the incident. While rejecting Israel’s explanation as “unaccountable,” Turkey accused Netanyahu of pursuing an expansionist policy that fuels regional instability ahead of the October vote.
Netanyahu’s Party Slumps in Latest Polls
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now suspected of planning to delay the Israeli election by igniting escalation in the Gaza Strip. As it turns out, Netanyahu’s party is trailing in the latest opinion polls conducted in Israel.
According to The Times of Israel, Channel 12, Israel’s main television station, has released the latest survey results on the Israeli election. The poll, conducted on Friday (20/8), shows Netanyahu’s Likud party in second place, projected to win 21 seats.
In the survey, the Yashar party, founded by former Israel Defence Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, ranks first. The party, formed only last September, is projected to win 24 seats.
The Channel 12 survey also revealed Netanyahu’s chances of winning the Israeli premiership. The poll found 44 percent of voters would choose Eisenkot as Prime Minister, compared to just 34 percent for Netanyahu.
It should be noted, however, that the position of Prime Minister in Israel is not directly elected by the people. Citizens vote only for political parties to sit in parliament, after which the President appoints the leader of the party best able to form a majority coalition to serve as Prime Minister.