Netanyahu calls early Israel election Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, on Tuesday called an early general election in a bid to cash in on his strong showing in recent opinion polls and in the hope of defusing a simmering coalition crisis. Mr Netanyahu will be seeking to renew and bolster his mandate at a time of rising regional tensions. In the months ahead, Israel is likely to face not only a potentially fateful confrontation with Iran but also the fallout from the broader political upheaval across the Middle East, including the escalating war in neighbouring Syria. Officials and analysts had expected an early election for some time, pointing out that Mr Netanyahu's broad but unwieldy coalition government seemed unable to resolve its differences over next year's budget. The Israeli leader has made clear repeatedly his determination to cut expenditure in the coming year, arguing that slowing economic growth made such austerity measures unavoidable. That move, however, was resisted by several smaller parties in Mr Netanyahu's coalition - setting the stage for a potential break-up. In a televised address late on Tuesday, Mr Netanyahu said he had realised the coalition would be unable to agree on a budget. "I have therefore decided, for the benefit of Israel, to hold elections now and as quickly as possible," he added. The prime minister did not give a date, but most analysts expect the vote to be held in late January or February. Israel's leader has little to fear from an early election: according to the latest poll by the Dialog polling group, published in the Haaretz daily last month, Mr Netanyahu's Likud party is set to win 28 out of 120 seats in the Knesset, a result that would make it the largest in parliament. The left-leaning Labour party would come second, with 20 seats, followed by the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party with 14 and the religious Shas party with 11 seats. The poll suggests Mr Netanyahu could once again assemble a right-of-centre coalition government based on the support of nationalist and religious parties, while the centre-left camp would most likely remain weak and fragmented. A resounding victory at the ballot box would reinforce his leadership at a time of looming conflict with Iran over the country's nuclear programme. Speaking at the UN general assembly last month, Mr Netanyahu warned that Iran would likely be in a position to produce a nuclear weapon by the middle of next year - leaving Israel's leader with a choice of whether or not to launch a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. But Mr Netanyahu may also be keen to bolster his political standing in light of the forthcoming US presidential election. Relations between Israel's leader and Barack Obama, the US president, have for some time been marked by tension over a range of key issues - from Iran's nuclear programme to Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank. Should Mr Obama win re-election in November, some analysts predict that he will toughen his stance towards Israel. A fresh democratic mandate could help Mr Netanyahu better withstand pressure from Washington. The election may, however, put an end to one of Mr Netanyahu's most important political alliances - with Ehud Barak, the defence minister. A former leader of the Labour party, Mr Barak broke away from his old political home last year, opting to stay in the coalition as head of the newly-formed Independence party. Polls predict the new group will struggle to re-enter parliament, which would almost certainly put an end to Mr Barak's spell at the helm of defence. Losing Mr Barak would be a political and personal blow to Mr Netanyahu, who has relied heavily on his cabinet colleague, especially on Iran. In recent weeks, however, there have been growing signs of discord between the two men: Mr Barak openly chided the prime minister for his confrontational stance towards the current US administration, drawing accusations of disloyalty from senior Likud members. He also strongly resisted an effort to curb defence spending, further complicating Mr Netanyahu's effort to push through a 2013 budget.