📊 CHANNEL 14 POLLING AND ISRAELI STRIKES ON SYRIA
🕑 Published: August 18, 2026 · 11:27 PM Israel time
📊 CHANNEL 14 PROJECTS NETANYAHU BLOC AT 63: A Channel 14/NEXT DATA poll projects the Netanyahu-aligned bloc at 63 seats: Likud 32, Shas 10, Otzma Yehudit 8, UTJ 7 and Religious Zionism 6. Eisenkot’s Yashar receives 24 seats, while Bennett-Lapid’s Together receives 6.
The Channel 14 result is currently the highest projection for the Netanyahu bloc among the cited recent major polls. Maariv has projected 48 seats, Channel 13 49, Channel 12 50, KAN 52 and i24NEWS 59. A simple equal-weight average of the six polls is approximately 53.5 seats, with a median of 51, meaning the broader polling picture does not currently show a clear 61-seat majority.
One of the most consistent findings is Eisenkot’s Yashar, which remains around 23–24 seats across polling firms. Much of the disagreement instead centers on Likud and Bennett-Lapid’s Together, with recent polls placing Likud between 21 and 32 seats and Together between 6 and 15.
The 3.25% electoral threshold remains a major variable. Several parties are currently polling below it, meaning relatively small shifts could redistribute multiple seats and significantly alter the bloc balance. Potential Arab-party unification could also reduce the risk of votes being lost below the threshold.
Current assessment: Channel 14 shows a viable path to a Netanyahu majority, but remains an outlier at the upper end of the polling range. Taken together, the cited surveys point more toward a hung Knesset, with the Netanyahu bloc presently averaging in the low-to-mid 50s rather than holding a secure majority.
Liberman responded to Eisenkot: “I will not join a minority government. A 58-seat government is out of the question.”
President Trump did not signal a preferred candidate, saying: “I think it’s best for me to stay out of Israel’s elections, but I might endorse someone.”
💥 ISRAEL STRIKES SYRIAN AIR BASE: The Israeli Air Force carried out four overnight airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Air Base in eastern Idlib, targeting the runway. The base houses Syria’s fledgling post-Assad Air Force, including roughly two restored Su-22s, several L-39 trainers and older helicopters.
The strikes came after footage emerged showing Su-22s conducting training flights over northern Syria.
An Israeli official told Fox News: “Highly sensitive intelligence was shared with the U.S. in advance. It’s possible that al-Sharaa did not understand what was happening or was unaware.”
The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as “a violation of its sovereignty and a dangerous escalation” and said Damascus would defend its rights under international law.
An Israeli official told Axios: “The strike on the Syrian air base near Idlib was aimed at preventing Turkish military build up”.
A Turkish official told Axios: “There was no Turkish presence at the air base. Israel is inventing pretexts to bomb neighboring countries and destabilize the region”.
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