JERUSALEM — Israel's embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a fresh challenge to his power on Thursday as his Likud party held leadership primaries in the run-up to a national election, the country's third in under a year. Netanyahu, head of Likud for the past 14 years, is widely expected to retain the right-wing party's leadership. However, the challenge has added to pressures that have mounted this year on the four-term premier, who is under indictment and fighting for political survival. In November, Netanyahu was charged for corruption in three criminal cases and he has twice failed to form a government in the wake of two inconclusive national ballots, held in April and September.

Source: International New York Times December 26, 2019 09:33 UTC