Netanyahu should remain in power after the election in Israel, assesses Ben Shapiro, and Iran remains on the radar

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has an "extremely high" chance of keeping his job after the election, according to Ben Shapiro, host of The Ben Shapiro Show. In an interview with Fox News' The Story program, he said that the result does little to change the relationship between the United States and Israel and the debate about a possible resumption of the war against Iran.

Shapiro, who visited Israel a few weeks ago, was asked whether the outcome favors Netanyahu or Gadi Eisenkot, who is also running for leadership in Parliament. In the presenter's assessment, the difference is small when it comes to foreign policy: the two agree on the three central points, Iran, Gaza and Lebanon. He recalled that Eisenkot was also leader of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

What separates the two

According to Shapiro, the differences focus on internal issues, such as the call for ultra-Orthodox people to join the Army, and on personal issues, including the investigation that Netanyahu is facing on suspicion of corruption. The prime minister, the presenter highlighted, denies the accusations. From a political point of view, he stated, "nothing changes" depending on who takes office.

Shapiro projected three paths for Netanyahu: a new election, in which he would remain interim prime minister until the election; a unity government, in which he would presumably be the head of the government; or a coalition that he can put together by attracting one of the opposition parties, which, according to the presenter, has already happened before. He further assessed that Eisenkot performed well, but that the opposition, as a whole, was below expectations, more so than Netanyahu.

Iran: targets and expectation of action

The conversation also discussed the possibility of the US and Israel resuming military action against Iran. Shapiro said there was "great expectation" that the Israeli government would want to act against a renewed nuclear program and the development of ballistic missiles, which, according to him, Tehran openly announces.

In the presenter's reading, the remaining targets in Iran are the ballistic missile factories, the installation known as Pickaxe Mountain, which he identifies as nuclear, and the island of Kharg. The latter, he said, would "devastate the economy" of Iran, which he described as already close to collapse. Without regime change, he said, there would be no possibility of recovery if Kharg was destroyed.

Presenter Martha MacCallum said she understands that President Donald Trump is evaluating all of these options and taking them seriously. The transcript does not detail deadlines or decisions, and the video description mentions reports of possible attacks after the 2026 US midterm elections, which are just days away.

American politics in the debate

The program also addressed commentator Hasan Piker's criticism of the Israeli electoral framework. Shapiro rejected the idea that Trump is led by Israel, calling it "absurd," and criticized statements from Piker's allies about Jewish voters voting in Michigan. These are the presenter's opinions, in a conservative program.

For investors, the message is continuity: without a change of direction in Israel, the geopolitical risk in the Middle East, especially around Iran, tends to remain on the radar of stock markets, oil and the dollar. The transcript does not contain market figures, and possible military actions still depend on decisions that have not been announced.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.