LAHORE: While the 80-year-old incumbent American President, Donald Trump, is seeking to wind up his country’s war against Iran before the upcoming November 3, 2026 midterm elections as the fallout from the war has negatively impacted the United States economy, the Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s stakes are arguably much higher as he is vying hectically to stay in power by emerging victorious in the October 27, 2026 polls that would elect 120 members of the 26th legislative assembly or the Knesset.
For both Trump and Netanyahu, a successful resolution to regional conflicts, especially their military adventure in Iran, is vital to stem the falling domestic support.
For Netanyahu -- with open war fronts in Lebanon, Iran and Gaza and a string of corruption charges at home – his primary bet is that the ongoing Army campaign solidifies his leadership and help his Likud party retain power.
Numerous Israeli and Western news outlets are hinting on daily basis that the mounting public backlash and the conflict with Iran, in particular, can have serious implications for Netanyahu in domestic and international legal matters.
It is imperative to note that the ballot exercise in Israel can even be held earlier, as 106 members of the outgoing Assembly have already supported a bill proposing early elections.
Netanyahu will surely be asked questions by the voters about the utility of US $11.5 billion he has already spent on Iran war.
On April 12, 2026, according to the “Times of Israel,” the Israeli Finance Ministry had said the war had already cost $11.5 billion in budgetary expenses.
The “Times of Israel,” which is the largest English-language Jewish and Israeli news source having over nine million unique users each month and over 35 million monthly page views, had asserted: “Netanyahu is fighting a long-running, multi-case corruption trial facing charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. A conviction could result in a significant prison sentence, making his continued hold on power vital to his legal defense. In 2019, Israeli prosecutors had charged Netanyahu with the afore-mentioned crimes. His ongoing criminal trial began in 2020, but has faced repeated delays due to the size and complexity of the case, as well as the
Prime Minister’s official duties and national security responsibilities.”
According to Australia’s prestigious Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), which is being served by 1319 employees, the Israeli Air Force has dropped over 18,000 bombs in Iran, in over 1,000 waves of strikes since the war commencement.
The Sydney-based Aussie media house stated: “According to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), over 10,800 separate strikes were carried out on over 4,000 targets, including air defense systems, ballistic missile launchers, weapon production sites, nuclear facilities, various headquarters, military commanders and leaders. Iran, during the fighting, launched some 650 ballistic missiles at Israel. Overall, at least 16 missiles carrying conventional warheads — with hundreds of kilograms of explosives — struck populated areas in Israel, causing extensive damage and loss of life.”
Coming to the United States, this is what a May 12, 2026 news report of the “Reuters” news agency had maintained: “The American war in Iran has cost $29 billion so far. A senior Pentagon official said the figure marked an increase of $4 billion from an estimate provided last month. With just six months before US midterm elections in which President Donald Trump’s Republicans may face an uphill battle to keep their House majority, Democrats are riding high in public opinion polls as they attempt to link the war with cost-of-living issues.”
Remember, all 435 seats in the US House of Representatives and 35 out of 100 seats in the American Senate will be contested to determine the outcome of the November 2026 United States midterm elections.
As far as the Iranian war losses and damages are concerned, a June 11, 2026 “BBC News” report had added: “More than 50 Iranian military bases, including the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), have been damaged by US-Israeli attacks since the war began, satellite images show. Bases across the country have been heavily damaged by US strikes, the images reviewed by BBC Verify show, with experts identifying damage to air force jets, warships and ballistic missile facilities. US officials say they have hit more than 13,000 targets across Iran since the conflict began on February 28.”
Earlier on April 15, 2026, the Doha-based “Al-Jazeera” Television had held: “An early estimate indicates that Iran has suffered about $270billion in direct and indirect damages since the 2026 war that resulted in widespread, devastating damage across the country. Official figures report over 3400 people killed, more than 26,000 injured and extensive destruction of infrastructure, including over 125,000 damaged buildings since the start of war.”
