President Donald Trump credited his endorsement with helping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu improve his electoral position Wednesday as partial election results showed Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc approaching a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

With approximately 42 percent of ballot boxes counted Wednesday morning, Netanyahu’s bloc was projected to win 57 seats, compared with 47 for the Jewish-led opposition and 16 for Arab parties. The figures represented a significant shift from initial exit polls, which had placed Netanyahu’s rivals ahead.

“When the endorsement came out, it helped him a lot,” Trump told reporters early Wednesday after returning from campaign rallies in Texas.

Trump said Netanyahu had performed better than expected, suggesting the election could end in a tie or even a victory for the prime minister. He cautioned, however, that the count was still incomplete.

The president also shared a Truth Social post by Irving C. Schwartz that attributed the shift in Netanyahu’s prospects to Trump’s endorsement. The post argued that what initially appeared to be a decisive defeat had become a close contest, with Netanyahu potentially positioned to win.

The partial results projected Netanyahu’s Likud party to finish as the largest party with 28 seats, ahead of Yashar, the party led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, which was projected to receive 21 seats. More than 650,000 special ballots, including military votes, were still awaiting separate processing, meaning the final distribution of seats remained uncertain.

Trump had endorsed Netanyahu twice in the lead-up to the election, making Iran a central issue in his appeal to Israeli voters. The president argued that Netanyahu’s continued leadership was important to completing the military objectives pursued by the United States and Israel against Tehran.

In his initial endorsement on the Sunday before the election, Trump warned that replacing Netanyahu could leave the United States responsible for confronting Iran without the same level of Israeli leadership.

“If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so,” Trump declared.

He renewed his endorsement shortly before Israelis went to the polls, describing Netanyahu as an “outstanding Warrior Prime Minister” and urging voters to support him in completing their shared objectives.

“Vote for Bibi Netanyahu for Prime Minister, we have to finish the job that we started!” Trump wrote.

Netanyahu echoed that message in an address to supporters early Wednesday, presenting the moment as a major opportunity for Israel and the United States to confront Iran.

“Iran is weaker than ever, Israel is stronger than ever,” Netanyahu said, arguing that the two countries had an opportunity to bring the confrontation to a decisive conclusion.

The election developments came as the Trump administration considered whether to launch another major military operation against Iran following the U.S. midterm elections.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that American officials had warned several Gulf Arab governments to prepare for a potentially short but intense military campaign after the midterms. U.S. forces were also reinforcing regional defenses, replenishing munitions and repositioning personnel amid the possibility of renewed strikes.

According to people familiar with Trump’s thinking, the president was leaning toward a substantial new attack that could target Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities, although he had not made a final decision.

Asked early Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews whether he planned to authorize additional strikes against Tehran after the midterms, Trump declined to disclose his intentions.

“I can’t tell you that,” he replied. “Anything is possible.”

Trump also suggested Iran could be delaying negotiations in the hope that the upcoming American elections would improve its position.

“They’ve wanted to make a deal, but they like tapping it along,” Trump said. “Maybe they’re waiting for the election or something. That’s not going to help them.”

Last week, Trump raised the possibility of renewed military action while speaking to supporters, saying, “We may do another little Epic Fury,” before adding, “Or they’ll agree.”

The partial Israeli election results and Trump’s comments placed Netanyahu’s political future alongside the administration’s deliberations over Iran. Both leaders have publicly emphasized their shared goal of countering Tehran, although the final Israeli seat count and Trump’s decision on further military action remained unresolved.